Stocks mostly retreated Thursday as a global rally fuelled by vaccine optimism petered out owing to the brutal reality of surging infections that are forcing fresh lockdowns and threatening to shock the global economy again.

Poland and Hungary toughened their rhetoric on Wednesday in a row that is blocking the European Union's long-term budget and coronavirus rescue on the eve of a summit in Brussels.

U.S. regulators on Wednesday cleared the Boeing 737 MAX to return to the skies, ending its 20-month grounding after two fatal crashes that plunged the company into crisis.

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump's controversial pick from joining the Federal Reserve board, at least for now.

The booming U.S. housing market showed no sign of letting up in October as new home construction rose more than expected even as permits stayed flat, government data showed Wednesday.

Star-spangled and featuring a SpaceX rocket module, the US pavilion at the gigantic Expo 2020 Dubai site was handed over Wednesday less than a year before the delayed launch of the world fair.

Amazon said Tuesday it was launching an online pharmacy for U.S. consumers, who will be able to order prescription medications directly from the e-commerce giant's website or mobile app.

As the country faces spiking Covid-19 cases, U.S. consumers steered their dollars towards e-commerce outlets in October, according to government data released Tuesday.

Wall Street stocks retreated from records early Tuesday following disappointing retail sales, while drugstore shares were hammered by Amazon's announcement about an online pharmacy.

European stock markets retreated Tuesday as a rally based on raised vaccine hopes petered out.