The UK pound and stock markets have taken a hit as a new strain of coronavirus prompted UK travel bans and fears of a no-deal Brexit increased, Sky News reports. Following earlier sharp falls against the US dollar and euro, sterling ended down 0.42 percent and 0.45 percent respectively, after slight improvements later in the session with the pound worth US$1.33 dollars and 1.09 euro. The London FTSE 100 blue chip index had fallen by more than 1.7 percent at the close of trading on Monday. The FTSE 250, which is generally made up of UK-focused businesses, took a heavier fall and was down 2.11 percent. Germany, France and Italy also saw falls on their respective stock markets.-Photo: Sky News

Source: The Standard December 22, 2020 10:07 UTC