European Stock Futures Sharply Lower; New Virus Strain Raises Lockdown Fears

European stock markets are expected to open sharply lower Friday on concerns a new Covid variant will prompt fresh mobility restrictions, hindering the region’s economic recovery. At 2:05 AM ET (0705 GMT), the DAX futures contract in Germany traded 2.3% lower, CAC 40 futures in France dropped 2.6% and the FTSE 100 futures contract in the U.K. fell 2.3%.