Global shares mixed as Covid worries cloud outlook

Bangkok: World shares were mixed on Monday as worries over the pandemic clouded the outlook for a recovery from the coronavirus crisis. Tokyo and Paris advanced, while Frankfurt and London were almost unchanged. Benchmarks fell in Hong Kong and Shanghai and US futures were mixed.

Government precautions to battle surging outbreaks point to an uneven global recovery, economists say. That's especially true for tourism, an important industry for many parts of the region.

But investors have generally taken in stride recent setbacks as Covid-19 infections have come roaring back in Japan, Thailand and India, among other countries. "One thing is for sure, markets have priced in the pandemic as a sprint and not a marathon.

That premise could come under stress in the weeks to come, although I sorely hope I am completely wrong on this front," Jeffrey Halley of Oanda said in a commentary.

"Pandemic nerves are likely to be drowned out this week as it progresses as the pace of the data calendar picks up," he said.