Friday 18 December 2020

Friday Morning Briefing: FDA advisory panel sets stage for Moderna vaccine authorization

What you need to know about the coronavirus today

FDA panel sets stage for Moderna vaccine authorization
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will “rapidly” work towards granting emergency approval of Moderna’s vaccine candidate, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said.

A panel of outside advisers to the FDA overwhelmingly endorsed the emergency use of Moderna’s vaccine, virtually assuring a second option for protecting against COVID-19.

Track daily COVID-19 infections and deaths data for 240 countries and territories around the world.

Sydney virus cluster grows
Christmas travel plans for thousands of Australians were thrown into chaos when states and territories imposed border restrictions after 28 COVID-19 cases were detected in Sydney, with fears infections could spread citywide. Around a quarter of a million people in Sydney’s northern beaches, where the cases have been found, have been told to stay home and wear masks if in other venues.

No post-pandemic normal in France before autumn 2021
France is unlikely to return to normal life before autumn next year as it could take longer than initially envisioned to roll out vaccines, a senior government scientific adviser said. “Vaccines are a major source of hope but if you look at the vaccination capabilities that we will have in France and elsewhere in Europe, we will need time,” immunologist Jean-François Delfraissy told BFM television.

New English lockdown can’t be ruled out, minister suggests
A new national lockdown in England cannot be ruled out after Christmas, British schools minister Nick Gibb said, although he stressed that the current regional “tiered” system of restrictions was effective. Northern Ireland and Wales have both outlined plans to head back into lockdown after Christmas, raising suggestions that England might follow suit.

Six South Koreans die of COVID awaiting hospital beds
Six people suffering from COVID-19 have died in South Korea this month while waiting for hospital beds and hundreds can not get admitted as surging infections overload the health system, officials and media said. South Korea reported 1,062 new cases on Friday, its second-highest ever daily tally, as the government agonized over tighter restrictions and warned businesses it was unacceptable to try to dodge shut-down orders.

From Breakingviews - Corona Capital: Enel, Office space, Online video.
Italian utility Enel secures a chunky valuation for its broadband investment, and Tishman Speyer bets on a revival of office life in Paris. Catch up with the latest financial insights.

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U.S.

Exclusive: Army Sergeant Major Das’Chara Champ couldn’t have known that the answer to her question about racial discrimination survey data was sitting in an office somewhere in the vast Defense Department bureaucracy. Few people do.

The Defense Department denied repeated requests from Reuters to release the 2017 survey data, including through a Freedom of Information Act request. It has also not released a separate report about the 2017 survey data or clearly explained why the data has been withheld for so long.

Hunkered down in what one former White House official called the “presidential man cave” of the Oval Office, President Donald Trump does not want to talk about what lies ahead once he leaves office next month.

Several people familiar with the situation say he knows his time is up even as he presses the fight against the election outcome, despite having failed in a series of court challenges to overturn the results of the Nov. 3 election that made Democrat Joe Biden president-elect.

Tesla’s grand entrance into the S&P 500 is expected to be preceded by a huge trade, with an unprecedented $80 billion of the electric car maker’s stock changing hands by the end of the session.

Elon Musk’s Tesla on Monday will become the most valuable company ever admitted to Wall Street’s main benchmark, accounting for over 1% of the index. The electric car maker’s shares have surged about 60% since mid-November, when its debut in the S&P 500 was announced.

Special Report

Families are torn apart as a new generation of Thais defy the monarchy in the name of democracy. Young Thais are braving arrest and shattering social norms to take on an increasingly unpopular king and his loyal prime minister. Even if they lose, Thailand might never be the same again,

Business and Tech

Zoom's Christmas gift: no cap on call lengths over the holidays

Friends and families kept apart by COVID this Christmas and New Year will not find their virtual gatherings over Zoom cut short by the usual 40-minute limit for free subscribers.

2 min read

U.S. retailers want shoppers to help Santa with curbside pickup

With homebound Americans making record numbers of online holiday purchases and snowy streets worsening a logjam for shipping companies, retailers are enticing shoppers to pick up orders in person to ensure their stockings are stuffed Christmas morning.

6 min read

Bezos' Blue Origin to deliver first flight-ready rocket engines next summer - ULA CEO

The chief executive of United Launch Alliance, a joint rocket venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, said it expects to receive two new rocket engines from billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin by next summer.

2 min read

Reopening rally? Speculative bubble? These days, it's hard to tell

Surging U.S. stocks are stretching equity valuations near their highest levels in years, leaving investors to determine whether the rally signals a coming economic rebound or an asset price bubble in the midst of a global pandemic.

4 min read

Central bankers comb for crypto clues as Bahamas launches 'Sand Dollar'

The Sand Dollar, a digital currency issued by the Bahamian central bank for use across the country via an app. While this experiment in the archipelago nation of around 390,000 people is modest in itself, it is likely being closely watched by major central banks across the world, from the U.S. Federal Reserve and European Central Bank to the People’s Bank of China and Bank of England.

6 min read

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