Traditional bricks and mortar retailers may be struggling through the pandemic, but there's one sector that seems to be outperforming the rest. With people stuck at home, an increase in renovations and 'do it yourself' jobs are giving home improvement stores in the US a boost. Kyoko Gasha takes a closer look at this trend and whether it's here to stay.

#DIY #HomeImprovements #HardWareStores

Donald Trump still refuses to concede defeat in last week's US presidential election. But that hasn't stopped Joe Biden from preparing his Oval Office to-do list. It's shaping up to be a daunting task for the president-elect, as he seeks to repair a network of global alliances damaged by the outgoing administration's 'America First' policies. Paolo Montecillo has more. For more on this, Ted Seifried joined us from Chicago. He's Chief Market Strategist at Zaner Ag Hedge.

#JoeBiden #USpresident #BidenPolicies

Conventions and exhibitions worldwide have been put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic. In Singapore, the events sector is working around the movement restrictions by hosting virtual meetings using 3-D studios and holograms. Melanie Ralph finds out if turning to tech is enough to help the conference industry survive the pandemic.

#Singapore #VirtualConferences #SocialDistancing

Could houses that can be assembled, then later pulled down and moved elsewhere, provide the solution to homelessness in London? Millions of dollars are being invested into a new type of accommodation called 'modular housing'. It's aimed at providing shelter quickly to thousands of families in need of a roof over their heads. Natalie Powell has more.

#ModularHomes #UKProperty #HomelessnessCrisis

Pfizer has announced its vaccine, developed jointly with Germany's BioNTech, is more than 90-percent effective against COVID-19. That's based on initial results from phase-three trials. The drug makers say, so far no serious side-effects have been reported among the 43-thousand participants. Pfizer and BioNTech are the first drug makers to announce positive data from large-scale clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine. They plan to submit the two-dose drug to US authorities by the end of the month. If approved, the vaccine could be rolled out for public use by the end of this year. We spoke to Eric Feigl-Ding in Washington. He's an epidemiologist and health economist, and Senior Fellow at the Federation of American Scientists.

#Pfizer #COVID19 #Vaccine

Record high new cases of COVID-19 are forcing two of Europe's biggest economies into lockdown. France is shutting down all non-essential businesses and ordering people to stay at home for at least four weeks, as health officials warn hospitals are running out of space. Germany has announced a less severe lockdown, closing restaurants, bars and cafes for at least two weeks. The new restrictions will deal a blow to the already fragile recovery in Europe's two biggest economies. Mobin Nasir reports. Andrea Renda is head of global governance, regulation, innovation and the digital economy at CEPS, which is an independent think tank focusing on Europe. She spoke to us from Brussels.

#France #Germany #Coronavirus

Berlin's plan to be a zero waste city by 2030 is slowly taking shape. It's using innovative ways to get the community to support its environmentally-friendly projects. And as Motheo Khoaripe reports, the German capital's scheme is proving popular among activists and bargain hunters.

#BerlinUpcycle #ZeroWaste #CarbonFootprint

#AntGroup #IPO #financialtechnology

China's biggest financial technology company was supposed to make its market debut on Thursday, in what would've been the world's largest IPO. Ant Group was poised to raise 37 billion dollars in a dual listing between Hong Kong and Shanghai. Instead, investors have been left licking their wounds after a last-minute ambush by Chinese regulators. They unveiled new draft rules this week, that led to an indefinite suspension of the listing. So what's next for Ant? Michelle Hennessy is in Hong Kong to find out.

#AntGroup #China #IPO

The outcome of the US presidential election is hanging in the balance with no clear winner as vote-counting continues some key swing states. President Donald Trump has called for legitimate tallying efforts to stop, while his Democratic challenger Joe Biden has urged patience. The contest to control the US Senate also appears at a stalemate, with Republicans and Democrats grabbing a nearly even split of seats. As Mobin Nasir reports, that could delay much-needed stimulus spending for an economy that's been ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic. For more on this knife edge race Joe Watkins spoke to us from Philadelphia. He's a former White House aide under the President George H.W. Bush's administration and is the host of 'State of Independence. And Simon Rosenberg joined us from Washington DC. He's the President of the New Democrat Network and a former senior consultant for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

#USstimulus #Pandemic #USelections

Global investors are rethinking their bets as an election nail-biter in the world's largest economy plays out. And it's more than stimulus money at stake. America's trade and economic relations with its biggest partners, as well as climate-related policies will depend largely on who leads the nation for the next four years. Paolo Montecillo reports. For more on how the markets have been moving, we spoke to Marc Chandler in New York.

#StimulusPackage #USelections #GlobalMarkets