US futures edge lower after the S&P 500 closes just shy of a record, as investors assess Omicron risks

US futures edge lower after the S&P 500 closes just shy of a record, as investors assess Omicron risks

US stock futures slipped slightly Thursday after the benchmark index closed the previous session just shy of a record high, as investors continued to assess risks from the Omicron coronavirus variant. were down 0.22%, were 0.23% lower, and were off by 0.22% in early European trading Thursday, indicating declines at the market open. Asian stocks broadly climbed overnight as investors bet the economic damage from the new variant would be less than first feared. China's was up 1.66%, and Hong Kong's rose 0.98%. The gains came despite worrying signs that highly indebted Chinese property developer Evergrande is teetering . But Tokyo's closed 0.47% lower. In Europe, the pan-continental index edged 0.23% higher, while the in London was roughly flat. Stock markets sold off sharply when the Omicron variant was first identified in southern Africa at the end of November, and scientists began racing to find out more about the new strain. Concerns have focused on what impact it could have on the global economy, as governments bring in travel bans and restrictions. Yet investors have been cheered by signs from around the world that have suggested Omicron's symptoms may be and that booster shots should . Scientists have cautioned that