European equities heavy on COVID-19 resurgence

GER30, UK100, H1

European stock markets are selling off, with the GER30 now down 3%, the UK100 2.3%, as investors price out stimulus hopes in the US and prepare for fresh economic setbacks as the second round of Covid-19 hit Europe and leads to increasingly strict restrictions. France has announced a curfew for Paris, that confines citizens to their homes between 9 pm and 6 am for four weeks, in the U.K. regional lockdowns are widened with London moving to tier 2 (No household mixing indoors anywhere from midnight on Friday. People are discouraged from using public transport. Schools, universities and places of worship remain open. All businesses and venues can continue to operate) and in Germany Chancellor Merkel has urged citizens to stick to the rules while signalling that official measures will be tightened if cases continue to rise at the current rate. Officials are eager to avoid full lockdowns, but despite the respite over the summer, they failed to prepare appropriate alternative measures to deal with the spike in cases that is now starting to show up in hospital admissions. Central bank officials continue to signal the willingness to do more if needed, but that hasn’t prevented Eurozone spreads from widening this morning, as peripheral bond markets feel the pressure from the pick-up in risk aversion. The Italian 10-year yield is up 3.4 bp, although still below the 0.7% mark, while German 10-year yields have dropped back -3.8 bp and -3.2 bp so far today.

The GER30 spiked below 12,600 from a close yesterday at 12,970, the UK100 pushed below 5,800 from highs yesterday over 6,000.