Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news as investors bet on the success of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine
- UK to begin using Oxford Covid vaccine as PM strikes hopeful tone
- Coronavirus – latest updates
- See all our coronavirus coverage
While vaccine hopes have buoyed markets, Covid continues to hurt major sectors like hospitality, which have shed thousands of jobs during the pandemic.
Related: Covid pandemic drives 163% rise in restaurant job losses in UK in 2020
Oil investors are keeping a close eye on the Opec meeting today. That could explain why markets are not really reacting to news of the oil tanker seizure, which would usually trigger geopolitical concerns and push up prices.
Opec producing nations are reportedly expected to announce production cuts for February, which could help prop up prices that have been hard-hit by reduced fuel demand during the Covid crisis.