CNN — Some of us are winding down for a period of holiday rest after a tumultuous year. But those who work in finance may not get much respite.

Blame the last-gasp uncertainty about the US stimulus package, Brexit talks going down to the wire and a huge pipeline of deals that will keep bankers busy.

The latest: President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he’s asking for changes to the coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress, leaving the future of the $900 billion stimulus in doubt.

Trump’s position could torpedo the carefully drafted bill, which his own administration helped negotiate and had been viewed as a done deal. The president said he wants stimulus checks of $2,000 per person instead of $600.

US stock futures are higher despite the surprise move. Oanda senior market analyst Jeffrey Halley told clients that the assumption, for now, appears to be that Trump is “bluffing.”

“Markets appear to be holding [off] pressing the sell button until the situation clarifies,” he said.

That leaves traders hanging around to see what Trump does next. If the stimulus plan is killed, investors may move to offload shares — especially given uncertainty about Senate elections in January and ongoing anxiety about the emergence in the United Kingdom of a new coronavirus variant that could be much more contagious.

Across the pond: Speaking of Britain, currency traders have stayed glued to news about Brexit trade talks for weeks but still have no clear answers. Negotiators are still working with just eight days to go before Britain loses its preferable trading status with the European Union, its most important market.

But with no sign of a resolution on thorny issues like fishing rights, it’s not clear both sides can strike an agreement in time. Analysts believe the lack of a deal would cause the pound to plunge against the dollar and the euro.

“Expect conflicting headlines to drive more volatility in [sterling] until we get the final result,” said Hussein Sayed, chief market strategist at FXTM. “The magnitude of the downside remains much higher than the upside.”

Then, of course, there’s a big task ahead for investment bankers, who are fielding a surge of interest from companies wanting to issue shares while markets remain near record highs. Huge demand for stock in companies like DoorDash and Airbnb has only solidified a sense that 2021 will be just as busy as the second half of 2020.

“The overall issuance environment is as good as it gets,” Alex Watkins, JPMorgan’s co-head of equity capital markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, recently told me. Teams are getting “very little rest” given how busy it is, he added.

Just this week, health insurance startup Oscar filed for an initial public offering with US regulators. TransferWise is also reportedly hunting for bankers to help with a 2021 listing, as is trading app Robinhood. For Wall Street, at least, there will be no easing into the new year.

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