(Reuters) – European share futures sank more than 1% on Friday after news that U.S. President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 hit stock markets globally.
Euro Stoxx 50 futures
Trump said on Friday that he and his wife Melania had tested positive for COVID-19 and were going into quarantine. The results came after news that Hope Hicks, a top adviser and trusted aide, had tested positive for the coronavirus earlier on Thursday.
A chaotic face-off between Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden earlier this week during the first presidential debate put stocks and other assets normally perceived as higher risk under pressure as Trump cast doubt on whether he would accept the election outcome if he lost.
“At this stage, it is too early to tell yet how this may affect the election outcome. Markets have sold off in a knee jerk reaction to the news, which is understandable,” said Khoon Goh, head of Asia research at ANZ in Singapore.
(Reporting by Sruthi Shankar; Additional reporting by Nikhil Nainan; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta)
