US stock exchanges close at a record high, encouraging progress in Covid-19 treatments

Markets in the US rose on Thursday and closed at a new all-time high as investors encouraged more They are confident that the economic recovery will be able to handle the current Covid-19 outbreak derived from the highly contagious omicron variant.

US consumer confidence increased in the last month of the year, While families were more optimistic about the economy and their finances. Home sales in November rose to a seven-month high And durable goods orders exceeded expectations.

Although consumer spending, adjusted for inflation, is stagnant because of the nightmare that haunts the world: rising prices, Which in the United States was the fastest in nearly four decades eroding purchasing power.

The Covid-19 pills developed by Merck & Co. have been licensed. by US regulators. This morning, giving high-risk patients another home treatment option at a time when the OMICRON variant is causing an increase in cases.

New York City is working to reduce crowds and add more hygiene for New Year’s Eve visitors to Times Square.

Bitcoin crossed $50,000 for the first time in nearly two weeks. The digital cash alternative saw prices rise 3.5% to $50,781 in New York before profits were slightly lowered. Ether and Solana also rose.

Close the S&P 500 with a profit From 0.62% to 4.725 points, While The Dow Jones Industrial Index advanced 0.55% to 35,950 units. The Nasdaq Composite followed the trend and rose 0.85% to 15653.4 units.

Latin American stock exchanges shared optimism in the northern markets, with the exception of the Brazilian Ibovespa, which lost 0.33%. Chile’s Ipsa advanced by 2.90%, followed by Argentine Merval and Peruvian BVL with 1.43% and 1.43%, respectively. Meanwhile, the Colombian Colcap barely moved 0.07% positively.

This is an overview of the markets.

Argentina

Vitalik Buterin, The Mind Behind Ethereum Cryptocurrency, The Minister of Economy, Martin Guzman, met After his meeting with former President Mauricio Macri and after giving an open lecture attended by a large number of attendees at Usina del Arte.

The Argentine official described the meeting as “an enriching one.” With the “creator of Ethereum, Who, thanks to his talent and dedication, helps move the state of global technology.”

Colombia

Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) has stated that it has decided to prepay Her current credit balance with IDB Invest is $450 million. The loan was completely canceled, with resources available in the company’s cash register.

Ecuador

The Ministry of Health announced that vaccinations are mandatory in the country. the authorities They justified their decision in the Organic Health Act and in the expansion of the omicron variant.

In the guidelines issued by the entity “the mandatory nature of vaccination against COVID19 in the national territory, due to the current epidemiological situation, has been announced, Risks of new variants, availability and accessibility of vaccines, as well as current scientific evidence.”

in Ecuador, 46% of families expect to spend less at Christmas, while 35% say they will spend the same amount And only 19% said they would spend more. Likewise, most of them will finance their celebrations with Your salary and birthday bonus or thirteenth salary. This data was obtained in the investigation Christmas consumption habits 2020-2021 Implemented by the University of Tecnológica Empresarial de Guayaquil.

Mexico

Crude oil production from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) stagnated during November and was far from its 2021 target. Average oil extraction for the general company and its partners 1,691 million barrels per day, Only 1,000 more units compared to the October figures And 3.5% more compared to the same month in 2020, according to the latest data from the company.

Unemployment has been registered Lowest level since March 2020And When the Covid-19 pandemic began in the country, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI). The unemployment rate was 3.7% of the economically active population (EAP) in its annual comparison.

Canada plans to formally join Mexico in requesting an arbitration panel to resolve a dispute with the United States over how to interpret Vehicle spare parts base of origin.