Europe shares, US futures higher as omicron virus fear eases

By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer

BEIJING (AP) — European stock and oil prices have rebounded and Wall Street was poised to open higher, even as Asian markets fell further. Investors on Monday were weighing the new coronavirus variant, omicron, that’s being found in more countries and prompting some governments to reimpose travel controls. Benchmarks in London, Frankfurt and Paris had gained by midday. Wall Street futures contracts and oil prices also climbed. Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong declined, though losses were smaller than Friday’s fall after reports the variant first spotted in South Africa appeared to spread around the globe.