On Monday, November 9, the news broke that the Pfizer vaccine trials had seen landmark results. The New York-based company announced that the vaccine candidate was 90 percent effective in preventing COVID-19.

Needless to say, this type of game-changing update is certain to have a big impact on the markets. On the same day as the official announcement, airline stocks rose massively, and the global markets also began to pick up. Expert trader Samuel Leach spoke to BBC Three Counties Radio about the ramifications of the colossal news.

"What a day! I think everyone's been seeing the doom and gloom throughout the whole election build-up in the markets and, obviously, COVID cases in the U.S. hitting over 100,000 a day," said Leach on the radio broadcast. "It was becoming a big concern. What great news we've had coming to the markets today with Pfizer and also Novavax as well: a double win on the vaccine news."

Turnaround for Travel and Leisure

Of course, when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out back in March of this year, it was a devastating blow for some areas of the economy. When asked whether it was difficult to comprehend what's been happening in the markets in recent months, Leach was honest.

"Yeah, I think so, especially the travel and leisure sector. They got hit really hard. It wasn't too long ago that we were seeing Rolls Royce and Tui, The Holiday Group... different stocks like that getting absolutely hammered in the market," explained Leach. "Today has been a complete turnaround for those stocks. We're seeing Rolls Royce claim 73 percent on the day. We haven't seen these sort of percentages for a long time. British Airways is up 34 percent, so this is a convincing move for the economy as a whole."

U.S. Markets Set to Soar

Now that the vaccine trials are showing overwhelmingly positive results, we could be set to see a real change in the markets. As the BBC radio presenter suggested during the interview, some individuals stand to make some serious money off the back of the change.

"It depends what you've been involved in. If we're talking about the U.S. markets, we printed fresh highs, which is unbelievable," said Leach. "The European markets are slacking behind the U.S.; we are seeing certain sectors recover, but, honestly, nothing in comparison to the U.S. markets. We are still down. Just before we had the COVID crash, we were at about 7,200, [and] we're at 6,200 now. To give you an idea in percentages, we're down about 15 percent. [In] Europe, we're down, [but] the U.S. is up. It's exciting. I think this is the start of good things to come in the markets."

Glimmer of Hope for the Economy

This year has been an unprecedented one, not only regarding what we're facing globally but also for the markets. However, a sustainable, effective COVID-19 vaccine could change everything. With that in mind, the BBC radio presenter asked Leach whether this shift was a glimmer of hope for the global economy and the markets at large.

Leach spoke about the change in energy companies. "We're seeing the likes of energy companies such as BP moving up, and we're talking double-digit percentages - 10 percent plus," he explained.

The sudden move in this sector could spell good news for the economy going forward. Put simply, it suggests that individuals have gained confidence in stocks that they had previously abandoned due to COVID-19.

"There's confidence that this is going to be moving in the right direction," continued Leach. "Novavax had their vaccine get FDA fast-tracked as well. So, it's not just Pfizer that we're looking at; it's the group of them. We're seeing that the economy is going to start doing well off the back of this. Even real estate, which was getting heavily hit, [is] starting to move in the right direction."

Why has there been such a sudden change in the market since the vaccine announcement? As Leach puts it, it's all about individuals moving from safe investments to more aggressive stocks. That's great news for the economy and may spell hope for its recovery.

"We're seeing people start pulling their money out of those safe investments. For example, Ocado was such a great investment during COVID lockdown, and the shares are down 12 percent today as people are moving their money into airlines and more aggressive stuff, where the economy is going to be opening up," concluded Leach.

About Samuel Leach

Samuel Leach started his trading career while he was still at university. He started with a 2K account and used hedging as his main strategy. He worked for a private fund before moving on to own his own business.

In 2012, Leach started Samuel & Co. Trading, which started in the United Kingdom but has since expanded to take on a variety of international clientele. Since 2016, the company has taught more than 3,000 people from 63 different countries. The company aims to "help as many people as possible" achieve higher levels of wealth and financial security by trading in the markets. Regardless of where you are in your investing career, getting guidance is an effective way to give yourself an edge.