European stocks head for higher open as omicron variant, bitcoin volatility watched

European stocks head for higher open as omicron variant, bitcoin volatility watched

LONDON — European stocks are expected to open higher on Monday as investors continue to monitor developments around the omicron Covid variant and bitcoin volatility. The U.K.'s index is seen opening 56 points higher at 7,165, Germany's 136 points higher at 15,259, France's  up 72 points at 6,815 and Italy's 199 points higher at 26,107, according to data from IG. European markets are set for a positive start to the trading week although the picture is more mixed at a global level. Stocks in Asia-Pacific dropped on Monday as investors monitored bitcoin prices after they . Meanwhile, oil prices jumped during early Asia trade, rising more than 2% in Asia trading hours  on Covid uncertainty and the OPEC+ plan to increase output in January. Stateside, stock futures were higher even after a  as investors ditched equities amid concerns over the new omicron Covid variant and the Federal Reserve's move to tighten policy. The heavy selling in technology stocks last Friday extended to cryptocurrencies with  volatile throughout the weekend.  traded around $57,000 on Friday morning, but by Saturday had . By Sunday the world's largest cryptocurrency had , but it still traded below the key $50,000