The FTSE 100 Futures is trading at 6,688.80 up with +1.02% percent or +67.50 point. The CAC 40 Futures is trading at 5,396.00 up with +1.11% percent or +59.50 point. The DAX Futures is trading at 12,081.00  up with +1.05% percent or +125.20 point. The EURO Stoxx 50 Futures trading at 3,380.00 up with +0.54% percent or +18.00 point.

TODAY’S FACTORS AND EVENTS

A key manufacturing survey was due out in China on Saturday, with analysts predicting a very sharp drop in activity, while South Korean officials were expected to release the results of testing on the members of a Shincheonji church, which is understood to harbour a large number of cases.

“Do you want to be long going into the weekend, even at these lower prices, when any number of worrying headlines may potentially hit the screens?,” analysts at Rabobank mused.

Overnight, the World Health Organisation said that the caseload of coronavirus cases outside of China had increased by 746, compared to an increase of 459 the day before, amid news of a first case in Nigeria and of the death of Iran’s ambassador to the Vatican.

YESTERDAY ACTIVITY

For the day the FTSE 100 closed at 6,580.61   with a loss of –3.18% percent or –215.79   point. France’s CAC  40 closed at 5,309.90  with a loss of –3.38% percent or –185.69   point.Germany’s DAX closed at 11,890.35 with a loss of –3.86% percent or –477.11  point.

WORLD MARKETS

For the day the Dow is trading at 25,409.36 with a loss of –1.39% percent or –357.28  point. The S&P 500 is trading at 2,954.22 with a loss of –0.82% 8percent or –24.54 point. The Nasdaq Composite is trading at 8,567.37 with +0.010% percent or +0.89  point.

In other parts of world, Japan’s Nikkei 225 is trading at 21,344.08 up with +0.95% percent or +201.12  point. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng is trading at 26,286.71  up with +0.60% percent or +156.78    point. China’s Shanghai  Composite is trading at 2,970.93  up with +3.15% percent or +90.63  point. India’s BSE Sensex is trading at  38,891.62 up with +1.55% percent or +594.33  point at 12:15 PM.