|

UK PM Johnson: London to go into tier 4 level of restrictions

In a press conference on Saturday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that he had been briefed on data showing that the new variant of the coronavirus is spreading more rapidly in parts of England, as reported by Reuters. Johnson further announced that London and areas of Southeast England will go into tier 4 level of restrictions. 

Additional takeaways

"The advisory group says new variant does appear to spread more easily."

"The R rate could increase by 0.4 or more."

"The new variant could be up to 70% more transmissible than the earlier version."

"We have to act now."

"No evidence the new variant is more dangerous."

"No evidence to suggest the vaccine will be any less effective against it."

"Those in tier 4 must stay at home, cannot stay away from home overnight."

"In tier 4, non-essential retail, indoor leisure, indoor entertainment, personal care sectors must close."

"In tier 4, a person can only meet with one other person in an outdoor public space."

"Asking everyone in all tiers to stay local."

"We must look again at Christmas."

"With the new variant, we cannot continue with Christmas as planned."

"People in tier 4 cannot mix with anyone outside their household."

"Christmas rules for allowing 3 households to mix are limited to Christmas day for rest of the country."

Author

Eren Sengezer

As an economist at heart, Eren Sengezer specializes in the assessment of the short-term and long-term impacts of macroeconomic data, central bank policies and political developments on financial assets.

More from Eren Sengezer
Share:

Editor's Picks

GBP/USD turns negative; slips back to 1.3530

GBP/USD comes under pressure and weakens toward the 1.3530 zone on Tuesday. Cable thus leaves behind two daily upticks in a row and retreats further from Monday’s multi-week tops past 1.3570 following humble gains in the Greenback and disheartening UK jobs data.

EUR/USD comes under pressure near 1.1570

EUR/USD could not sustain the earlier bullish attempt toward the proximity of 1.1600 the figure, coming under fresh downside pressure and revisiting the 1.1580-1.1570 band as the NA session draws to a close on Tuesday. The better tone in the US Dollar in the latter part of the day weighs on the pair amid steady volatility in the Middle East. Looking forward, the release of the FOMC Minutes takes centre stage on Wednesday.

Gold consolidates below $4,350; looks to FOMC Minutes for fresh impetus

Gold holds steady below $4,350, following the previous day's heavy losses, as traders await the release of FOMC Minutes for cues about the Fed's future policy path. In the meantime, the recent surge in US bond yields, bolstered by inflation fears stemming from rising oil prices, supports the US Dollar amid the Middle East crisis and should cap the non-yielding bullion.

Ethereum: Investors remain on the sidelines

Ethereum continued its consolidation pattern over the past week with several key on-chain and derivatives metrics indicating traders remain hesitant to return to the market. The holdings across several wallet cohorts remained largely unchanged over the past week. Wallets holding 10K-100K ETH, also classified as whales, saw modest inflows of only 10K ETH.

WTI rises to near $85.00 amid escalating US-Iran tensions

West Texas Intermediate oil price extends its gains for the fourth consecutive day, trading around $84.80 per barrel during the Asian hours on Wednesday. Crude oil prices advance as ongoing geopolitical friction between the United States and Iran sustained market concerns over global supply.

Why is Crude Oil priced for a reopening the ships haven't made?
Fourteen vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Before the war, the count ran near 120 a day. In the sessions since the waterway was publicly declared open, Brent has drifted back to $87 and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) to $81, both a little lower again on Wednesday, with daily momentum on each unwound from the top of its range in late July to the low twenties now.