Zambian President Edgar Lungu faces a third election showdown with opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema on Thursday, in a vote that looks too tight to call and with mounting debt and a flagging economy taking centre stage.
European stocks were attempting to equal their longest winning streak since 2017 on Thursday, while the dollar and bond yields took a breather after U.S. inflation data cooled talk of a rapid reeling-in of Federal Reserve stimulus.
U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs lowered its oil demand forecast for China for the next two months, citing rising concerns over the impact of the next wave of COVID-19 infections.