Shares were mixed in early European trading on Tuesday after a strong day of gains in Asia, while U.S. futures edged lower. Benchmarks slipped in London and Frankfurt on Tuesday but rose in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong. Investors appeared to be shrugging off surging coronavirus caseloads in dozens of countries after the S&P 500 started off August by closing within 3% of the record high it set in February. According to the World Health Organization's tally, there were nearly 18 million confirmed coronavirus cases as of Tuesday, up from 10.2 million at the beginning of July, as outbreaks expanded or revived in many regions. Such tallies are thought to vastly understate the number of actual cases due to limits of testing and other issues.

Source: International New York Times August 04, 2020 07:07 UTC