RKI says that they are not aware of the new variant of the coronavirus in Germany as of the present situation
Although, they do concede that the likelihood of the new variant being found is very high. And I would suspect that is the case for most countries across the globe, honestly.

S&P 500 futures erase earlier losses to turn positive
Either way, US futures have turned higher as European equities are pushing gains of a little over 1% across the board currently.

Just a heads up in case there is anything relevant
Though, I reckon we’ll hear the same old story about fisheries and how there is still no room for compromise just yet. The fact that no deal can be ratified in time for the new year has taken away the „pressure“ from talks, leaving 31 December

An ugly day in Europe so far this morning
The DAX is now on approach to its 13 November low near 13,000 as the index falls by a whopping 4% on the session now, as the risk aversion deepens.

Latest data released by CBI – 21 December 2020
„It says something about the challenges the retail sector has faced during 2020 that stable volumes in the run-up to Christmas were seen as a good result for the time of the year. The new year looks set for an unpromising start, with retailers anticipating a sharp

Brand new week, same old story

The dollar continues to push higher in European morning trade
The greenback is posting fresh highs across multiple currency pairs as we see cable now take aim towards 1.3200 upon a break of the 1.3300 level earlier in the session.

DIW expects the German economy to shrink by 1% in Q4 this year
The research institute says that the second hard lockdown in Germany will hit economic output rather harshly during the winter and only if the virus situation stabilises, will the economy return to the recovery path in February.

More from the Wall Street Journal reporting on apparent progress on the COVID-19 stimulus package in Congress.
This from earlier for background:
Senate Minority Leader Schumer told media he thought both houses of Congress, the House and Senate, would be able to vote on the relief bill on Sunday.

Wall Street Journal report on apparent breaking of the impasse on Fed powers.
The Fed dispute was if you need background.
referenced here
The Journal says that thus a vote on the stimulus package is expected on Sunday.