Stocks in Asia tumbled.
Shanghai's benchmark index closed down by almost 1.9%, marking its worst one-day fall since Septmeber.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng and other indexes around the region also closed lower.
Investors there spooked by more signs of rising U.S.-China tensions.
That after Washington published a list of Chinese and Russian firms it says have military ties that restrict them from buying some U.S. goods.
Asian investors also still digesting the growing concern over a new virus strain.
But it was a different story when Europe opened for business.
Indexes there soared higher from the open.
The pan-European Stoxx 600 index was up over 1 percent in early trade.
That after health worries sparked its biggest one-day drop in nearly two months on Monday (December 21).
European investors were buoyed by the news of a big new stimulus plan in the U.S.
Lawmakers there finally agreed a package of measures totalling almost 900 billion dollars.
The EU's move to approve the Pfizer vaccine also helping, with airline stocks among the gainers.
Air France-KLM gained over 5 percent in early trade, with easyJet and British Airways-owner IAG also on the up.
After an initial dip, even London's FTSE index clawed its way higher.
Sentiment there remains fragile, however, with the country almost cut off by virus-related travel bans.
Some hope Tuesday, though, with ministers saying they could strike a deal with France to resume freight shipments.
