Brexit agreement signing ceremony today

Financial and commodity markets analytics

Market Watch review. 30.12.2020

In today's release, we’ll cover the following topics:

  • Change of OPEC chairman in 2021.
  • Britain and the EU sign an agreement on trade and cooperation.
  • Coronavirus statistics.

The African Republic of Angola will act as chairman of the OPEC conference in 2021, replacing Algeria in this role.

In particular, Angola's Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum and Gas, Diamantino Pedro Azevedo, will make a welcoming speech at the January 4, 2021 OPEC+ ministerial meeting.

Angola is a relatively small OPEC oil producer. The country's average oil production is 1.37 million b/d, almost all of which is exported, according to the OPEC website.

As reported by the BBC, after months of difficult negotiations, the European Union and the United Kingdom on Wednesday, December 30, sign an agreement on trade and cooperation after Brexit. 

The ceremony took place in Brussels at the EU Council at 09:30 CET. On the part of the European Union, the documents are certified by the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

Then in London the agreement was signed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson.

In total, the parties will sign three documents: an agreement on trade and cooperation, an agreement on procedures for the exchange and protection of confidential information, and an agreement on cooperation in the peaceful use of atomic energy.

Although European countries and the United States continue mass vaccination of the population, the coronavirus continues to spread, and more and more countries are imposing new, stricter quarantine restrictions. The British mutation of the virus has also made its way to the United States.

The UK recorded its highest daily number of new Covid-19 cases since mass testing began on Tuesday: 53,100 patients were diagnosed (about 10,000 more than the day before). 
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the first case of "mutant coronavirus" was identified in the US: the British strain was found in a patient in Colorado. 

It is noteworthy that the patient - a man aged 20 to 30 years, judging by his documents, did not leave the United States. This could theoretically mean that he was infected by someone who visited one of the countries where a new type of virus is spreading. Now this person is in self-isolation, doctors are trying to establish who he was in contact with.

That's all for me. The FIBO Group team wishes you a Happy New Year, and may everything be better in the coming year. Appreciate your family, because this is the most important investment. See you next year, in 2021.