LAS VEGAS — Sen. Bernie Sanders is a longtime supporter of “Medicare for All.” “I wrote the damn bill,” he said on a debate stage last summer, and his support for universal health care has helped propel him to the front of the 2020 Democratic field. But in Nevada, where the race heads next, his […]

Canadian shares were swinging between gains and losses Wednesday morning as investors looked for direction. Activity was largely stock specific with corporate earnings news setting the trend.

The Canadian stock market ended marginally up on Wednesday, thanks largely to strong gains in the technology section.

President Trump and Vice President Pence have made official visits to battleground states this week, while the Biden campaign tries new ways to reach voters in key states virtually.

The health care sector has cut 1.4 million jobs in April. And as COVID-19 has consumed health care resources, other essential routine procedures — like screenings for strokes — have gone down.

Hulporganisaties maken zich zorgen over de oplopende armoede door de coronacrisis. Zij zien de vraag naar hulp, waaronder voedselpakketten, toenemen. Eerder meldde het Nibud al dat een vijfde van de Nederlanders door de coronacrisis een inkomstenterugval ervaart. Het gaat vooral om jongeren, zelfstandigen en flexwerkers.

Veel nieuwe gezichten

Michael is een van die nieuwe werklozen. Hij werkte als uitzendkracht net op Schiphol op de bagageafhandeling. "Mijn contract werd niet verlengd. Door de coronacrisis moesten alle uitzendkrachten eruit. Dus dan ben je werkloos."

Hij maakt gebruik van voedselpakketten die worden uitgedeeld door Trijntje Aarden en haar man. Al 16 jaar deelt het stel in Zoetermeer eten uit aan gezinnen die dat nodig hebben. Sinds 2019 zijn ze een stichting, Stichting Oosterfaantje.

Sinds de uitbraak van de coronacrisis ziet Trijntje veel nieuwe gezichten, vertelt ze:

"Een eerste inventarisatie leert dat de vraag naar non-food, zoals leermiddelen en kleding, licht toeneemt," zegt Teije Brandsma van het armoedefonds, waar 700 organisaties bij zijn aangesloten. "De vraag naar voedsel is sterker gegroeid, vooral door mensen die net buiten de criteria van de voedselbank vallen." Het fonds verwacht komende week met cijfers te komen over de gestegen hulpvraag.

Vooral in de eerste twee weken van de crisis zag directeur Veerle Rooze van Stichting Ido Schuldhulpverlening Lelystad veel meer toestroom. "In de supermarkt was het huismerk door hamsteren uitverkocht en het A-merk te duur, dus klopten mensen die het normaal net redden aan voor voedselhulp. Verder leverden we in die weken noodhulp aan nieuwe gezichten. Bijvoorbeeld mensen die een contractje als schoonmaker hadden dat opgezegd werd toen de lockdown begon."

Nadja Jungmann, lector schulden aan de Hogeschool Utrecht, krijgt van verschillende kanten signalen over toenemende armoede en oplopende schulden. "Hulpverleners die ik spreek maken zich zorgen, vooral over jongvolwassenen en zzp'ers. Bij wijkteams staan alle seinen op rood over toenemende armoede. Dat gaat om mensen die geen eten kunnen betalen, maar er zijn ook zorgen over eenzaamheid en stress."

Het steunpakket van de overheid helpt veel mensen, ziet Jungmann. "Maar het is een pakket op hoofdlijnen, en er zijn altijd mensen die tussen wal en schip vallen. Denk aan de ondernemer met hoge huurlasten die wel een tegemoetkoming krijgt voor zijn personeel, maar z'n eigen salaris inlevert om de vaste lasten te blijven betalen. Of iemand die werkte bij een bedrijf dat failliet is gegaan."

Joke de Kock, manager schuldhulpverlening bij de gemeente Tilburg, verwacht dat de grote stroom richting schuldhulp over een paar maanden begint. "Er zijn nu mensen die terugvallen in hun inkomen en daardoor te maken gaan krijgen met rekeningen die ze niet kunnen betalen, maar het duurt altijd even voordat mensen zich echt bij ons melden", zegt De Kock. "Dat gebeurt meestal pas als ze een paar maanden betalingsachterstand hebben, en ze eerst een maand of drie middelen van de ene naar de andere kant hebben geschoven."

Verkeerde prikkel

Ze hoopt dat mensen vroeg aan de bel trekken. Met woningcorporaties heeft gemeente Tilburg ook een afspraak: als ze de huur missen van iemand die normaal gesproken wel betaalt, gaan de gemeente en de woningcorporatie daar samen achteraan. "Zo proberen we direct contact met hen op te nemen en er snel bij te zijn. Een maand huur missen is namelijk een heel groot probleem."

"Het is aan de ene kant fijn dat deurwaarders nu coulant zijn en dat je uitstel van betaling van je hypotheek kan krijgen, maar dat geeft de verkeerde prikkel", zegt De Kock. "Het moet later toch allemaal terugbetaald worden."

Sobeauty Inc. is recalling about 600 "Mag Cube" magnetic ball sets citing risk of ingestion by children, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement. The recall was initiated after reports of many injuries to children with similar magnetic balls, which are warned to cause serious and permanent intestinal injuries or death.

Facebook Inc. will allow most of its employees to continue to work from home through the end of this year, according to a report by CNBC. The social media giant will reportedly begin to open most of its offices on Monday, July 6, and is in the process of identifying which employees can report to the office. Employees who can do their work remotely will be allowed to continue to do so.

Shares of Lyft Inc. (LYFT) jumped 17% on extended session Wednesday after the ride-hailing company's first-quarter revenues trumped Wall Street estimates despite negative effects of COVID-19 pandemic, as active riders and revenues per riders increased.

Cloudflare, Inc. (NET) shares are down more than 14 percent on Friday morning trade as it reported a wider net loss of $32.75 million or $0.11 per share for the first quarter, compared with loss of $17.11 million or $0.20 per share in the prior year.

Fan engagement platform Socios.com plans to launch blockchain-powered COVID-19 immunity passes for global football fans to enable them to attend live games at stadiums in the aftermath of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Socios Pass, an ID and immunity verification tool, will allow fans holding "Proof of Immunity" to return to the stadium and watch live games more safely and securely.

Early signs from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open in negative.

Stocks moved sharply lower over the course of the trading day on Friday, extending the pullback seen in the previous session. With the steep drop on the day, the major averages continued to give back ground after ending Wednesday's trading at their best closing levels in well over a month.

One of the worst monthly jobs report is expected on Friday, with the unemployment rate for the month of 16.4 percent in April, compared to 4.4 percent in the prior month. Trading on Friday is likely to be driven by reaction to the monthly jobs report.

After moving significantly higher early in the session, stocks saw some further upside over the course of the trading day on Friday. The major averages added to the gains posted in the previous session, with the tech-heavy Nasdaq reaching its best closing level in well over two months.

Death toll in U.S. due to coronavirus pandemic is nearly 69,000, with more than 1,189,000 infections. New infections in Russia climbed by more than 10,000. Investors are closely observing the spread of the disease and its impact on the economy.

Early cues from the U.S. Futures Index suggest that Wall Street might open moderately higher.

After moving significantly higher early in the session, stocks have seen some further upside over the course of the trading day on Thursday. With the upward move on the day, the tech-heavy Nasdaq has turned positive for 2020.

Following the mixed performance seen in the previous session, stocks moved mostly higher during trading on Thursday. With the upward move on the day, the tech-heavy Nasdaq returned to positive territory for 2020.

Total deaths due to coronavirus pandemic soared to more than 61,000 in the U.S. while total infections jumped to more than 1,065,000. The market sentiments are low, despite the announcement that Gilead Sciences Inc's antiviral drug remdesivir might become the standard of care for Covid-19.

Stocks showed a notable move to the downside during trading on Thursday, giving back ground following the rally seen over the course of the previous session.

Several countries are relaxing restrictions in the hope that the COVID-19 pandemic is tapering. The rally in U.S. shares has boosted the confidence of investors.

After showing a strong move to the upside early in the session, stocks remain firmly positive in mid-day trading on Tuesday. With the upward move, the major averages are extending the rebound seen over the course of the previous session.

ADP's report on private-sector employment might be the major economic announcement on Wednesday. Closely watched Labor Department jobs report is scheduled on Friday.

The U.S. dollar recovered a bit Friday morning after data showed a slightly smaller than expected drop in U.S. employment in the month of April, although the fall was quite steep and the biggest in several decades.

The total number of building permits issued in New Zealand in March tumbled a seasonally adjusted 21.3 percent on month in March, Statistics New Zealand said on Tuesday - standing at 2,904.

China's exports expanded in April despite the global outbreak of coronavirus, or covid-19, pandemic hurting global demand, data from the General Administration of Customs revealed Thursday. In dollar terms, exports grew 3.5 percent on a yearly basis in April, confounding expectations for a decline of 12.1 percent. Shipments had declined 6.6 percent in March.

Germany's factory orders declined the most since the records began in 1991, as measures to contain the spread of coronavirus, or covid-19, pandemic dampened both domestic and foreign demand. Factory orders declined sharply by 15.6 percent on a monthly basis in March, much bigger than the 1.2 percent drop posted in February, data published by Destatis revealed Wednesday.

In the time of coronavirus lockdown, Netflix Inc. is teaming up with director Lee JQ to produce a new series, "All of Us Are Dead." All of Us Are Dead tells the story of a group of high school students who are faced with an extreme crisis situation when they become trapped in their school, while a zombie virus spreads like a wildfire. It is based on the chart-topping Korean webtoon titled "Now

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a lower opening on Friday, with stocks likely to extend the pullback seen in the previous session.

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a lower opening on Monday, with stocks likely to give back ground following the strong upward move seen last week.

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a higher opening on Thursday, with stocks likely to regain some ground following the sharp pullback seen in the previous session.

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a roughly flat opening on Thursday, with stocks likely to show a lack of direction following the volatility seen over the past few sessions.

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a lower opening on Thursday, with stocks likely to give back some ground following the rally seen in the previous session.

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a higher open on Tuesday, with stocks likely to extend the rebound seen over the course of the previous session.

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a higher open on Tuesday, with stocks likely to move to the upside after ending the previous session mixed.

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a sharply lower open on Tuesday, with stocks likely to extend the pullback seen in the previous session.

The major U.S. index futures are pointing to a sharply lower open on Wednesday, with stocks likely to give back ground following the rally seen in the previous session.

President Donald Trump says all parts of the country are either in good shape or getting better based on reports that the infection rate has dropped significantly in several hotspots, including New York. Some states such as Texas, Alaska, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee and South Carolina are taking their first steps toward reopening. At a routine White House news conference on Monday, the President

While reporting its first-quarter financial results on Friday, Alliance Resource Partners LP (ARLP) said its second-quarter results will suffer due to the demand destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Laureate Education, Inc. (LAUR) on Thursday reported that its net income for the first quarter was $98.3 million or $0.47 per share, down sharply from $194.3 million or $0.85 per share in the year-ago period.

While reporting its financial results for the first quarter on Thursday, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII), a military shipbuilding company, noted that the COVID-19 pandemic did not materially impact its first-quarter financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

States are in dire financial trouble because of the coronavirus pandemic. Some Republican leaders in Washington D.C. have suggested states declare bankruptcy, but is that a possible option?

French stocks rallied on Tuesday after Italy, Spain and France have all recorded their lowest daily spike in fatalities to date.

NPR's Scott Simon talks to baseball legend Andre Dawson, a Hall-of-Fame member and National League MVP for the Chicago Cubs, about his second career as a Miami funeral director.

Ahead of Thursday's holiday for Vesak Day, the Indonesia stock market had finished lower in two of three trading days since the end of the four-day winning streak in which it had advanced more than 220 points or 4.9 percent. The Jakarta Composite Index now sits just beneath the 4,610-point plateau and it's likely to remain rangebound again on Friday.

German exports declined the most on record in March as foreign demand was dampened by coronavirus, or Covid-19, pandemic, official data showed Friday.

German exports declined at a record pace in March as widespread lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, or Covid-19, across major economies hurt the demand, official data showed Friday. Exports fell by seasonally adjusted 11.8 percent month-on-month, in contrast to February's 1.2 percent rise, Destatis reported. This was the strongest decline since the beginning of the time series in August

Lithuania trade deficit decreased in March, as exports and imports declined, figures from the statistical office showed on Friday.