Jim Zarroli

Stations have been playing Christmas music earlier than ever this year, as a way of luring in listeners during the pandemic. One Indiana station was doing it in July.

The Amazon CEO and four other billionaires are part of the world's most exclusive club in the midst of the pandemic: those whose fortunes exceed $100 billion.

This year, five people have achieved the status of centibillionaires, i.e., people worth more than $100 billion. Among them is Tesla founder Elon Musk.

Water is a precious resources in California — a state plagued by wildfires and drought. Water there is now a commodity and can now be traded like oil and gas.

With millions stuck at home, more and more people are trying day trading. Most will end up losing money, studies show, while troubling cases of addiction are also on the rise.

During the pandemic, millions of people have turned to trading stocks. Studies say most of them will lose money. One former day trader has taken to YouTube to warn people about the risks.

The exchange wants to require listed companies to include women and minorities. California and Goldman Sachs have made similar steps recently; some European countries have had such rules for years.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average has surpassed the 30,000 mark. This year, stocks plunged after pandemic lockdowns but came back after drugmakers reported success in developing coronavirus vaccines.

Markets welcomed President Trump's recommendation the transition process begin, which will provide critical resources and information to President-elect Joe Biden's team.

More than 150 business leaders released a letter calling on President Trump to start the transition process, given the urgent need to tackle the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin wants to let the emergency loan programs expire at the end of the year. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell says that's too soon.

The Fed will comply with a request from the Treasury Department to wind down coronavirus emergency lending programs after the central bank had earlier objected to the move.

The president-elect can undo many of Trump's tariffs with the stroke of a pen, but he's unlikely to do so now that the tenor of the U.S.-China relationship has changed.

Judy Shelton, the controversial nominee to the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors, failed to advance for a vote in the Senate, delivering Republicans and the Trump administration a major setback.

Investors were also reassured by comments from two Biden advisers that no nationwide COVID-19 lockdowns are being contemplated.

Stocks soared to record highs after drugmaker Pfizer announced its experimental coronavirus vaccine was more than 90% effective, providing a major dose of hope for the global economy.

Stocks surged after Pfizer said its experimental vaccine was more than 90% effective and after former Vice President Joe Biden was elected president.

Investors are betting on at least two more years of divided government, spurring the best weekly stock gains in months.

Stocks have traditionally done well with a Democrat in the White House and Congress under Republican control.

Investors are betting that Democrats could take control of the White House and the Senate, increasing the prospect of passing a new relief package once the election is over.