Consumer companies such as Unilever and JD Sports fashion are among the poorest performers while energy firms such as BP and Royal Dutch Shell are still on top.

New data from the Office for National Statistics shows that the UK unemployment rate fell from 4.5% to 4.1% between September and November 2021. British employers added a record 184,000 staff to their payrolls in December, which indicate that the Omicron variant has little impact on the job market.

U.S. Treasury yields exceeded 1% for the first time since February 2020, with investors now coming to terms with the fact that a U.S. rate rise is likely to come in March.

Rio Tinto is down after it forecast slightly weaker-than-expected 2022 iron ore shipments due to production delays and staff shortages.

 

Things to read today:

Day Traders as “Dumb Money”? The Pros are Now Paying Attention (WSJ)

BlackRock surges past $10 trn in assets under management (Financial Times)