US stock were mixed in early trading on Friday, weighed down by the growing Covid-19 concerns, but Nasdaq managed to hit new record highs above 16,000 points.
Many countries re-imposed lockdown restrictions and precautionary measures to contain the coronavirus.
Austria has announced re-imposing a complete lockdown to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus, and Germany has taken more stringent measures against unvaccinated citizens.
Markets are also following the Federal Reserve members' statements about the high inflation rate.
As for stocks, Dow Jones fell 0.5% or 204 points to 35,666 as of 14:46 GMT, and S&P 500 held at 4,705, while Nasdaq rose 0.5% or 81 points to 16,085 points.