Already boosted by hopes of availability of effective COVID-19 vaccines, Asian and European Stocks today gained amid formal go-ahead for U.S. President-elect Joe Biden.
 
Japan’s NIKKEI-225 zoomed 2.5 percent and Singapore’s Straits Times surged 1.5 percent. South Korea’s KOSPI gained 0.6 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added 0.4 percent. On the other side, China’s Shanghai Composite index fell 0.3 percent.
 
European stocks were also up in intraday trade. Germany’s DAX appreciated 1.3 percent, London’s FTSC-100 was up 1.2 percent and France’s CAC gained 1.3 percent.