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The Rise and Fall of the Global Luxury Goods Market

During the earliest days of the pandemic, when medical journals like The Lancet were publishing some of the first non-peer-reviewed studies about the virus by scientists and researchers in China, experts warned about mutations in various strains of the virus, though they insisted that there was still no evidence to suggest that the virus was evolving into something more dangerous and more infectious.
Since then, a flood of new research has been published, and scientists have discovered more discouraging signs of mutation in samples of the virus. And yet, medical experts including Dr. Anthony Fauci have seemed at times overly eager to dismiss these mutations, and claim – without evidence – that there was no reason to believe the virus was evolving and changing in a way that might complicate efforts to create a vaccine.
Which is why we’re highlighting this Bloomberg report from yesterday describing the latest findings from doctors and researchers in northeastern China who are seeing the coronavirus manifest differently among patients in this new cluster, suggesting that the virus may indeed by changing in unknown ways and complicating efforts to stamp it out. CLICK for complete article

Ahead of the quarterly results released May 14, Aurora Cannabis stock was down about 74% year-to-date, ravaged by the broader market weakness orchestrated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent impact on the global economy.
After adding about 15% ahead of the earnings release, the stock jumped 69% May 15 to $11.20. The Canadian cannabis company reported net revenue growth of 18% for the fiscal year 2020 third quarter. The adjusted EBITDA loss narrowed from CA$80.3 million ($57.8 million) to CA$45.9 million ($33 million)…CLICK for complete article

The University of Oxford, which is partnering with large-cap pharma AstraZeneca plc to develop a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2, could lead the pack in advancing its vaccine candidate to the next stage.
The university is one of the eight companies and institutions that have advanced their candidates to human testing, according to the latest World Health Organization statistics.
Phase 1 Results In Mid-June
About 1,000 people have been vaccinated in the first phase of the vaccine program, which is going as planned and without safety scares, Prof. John Bell, regius professor of medicine at the Oxford University, reportedly told BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
Results of the Phase 1/2 trial that is underway could be available by mid-June, Bell said.
“We also want to make sure that the rest of the world will be ready to make this vaccine at scale so that it gets to populations in developing countries, for example, where the need is very great.” CLICK for complete article

Where COVID-19 is Rising and Falling Around the World
It’s been just over two months since New York declared a state of emergency, and global stock markets were hammered as the fears of a full-blown crisis began to take hold.
Since then, we’ve seen detailed, daily coronavirus coverage in most of the major news outlets. With such a wealth of information available, it can be hard to keep track of the big picture of what’s happening around the world.
Today’s graphic, adapted from Information is Beautiful, is an efficient look at where the virus is fading away, and where new infection hotspots are emerging.
The Ebb and Flow of Coronavirus Cases
First, the good news: the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases has started to level off on a global basis. This metric was rising rapidly until the beginning of April — but since then, it has plateaued and is holding steady (for now)…CLICK for complete article
