Hello everyone! Welcome to this weekly roundup of Investing stories from deputy editor Joe Ciolli. Please subscribe here to get this newsletter in your inbox every week.

Dear Readers,

What's already been a wild year for markets got even more turbulent late last week when President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19. Stocks immediately took a dive upon digesting the news — and their subsequent recovery was just as sharp amid encouraging reports around Trump's status and subsequent hospital discharge.

The whole ordeal added even more uncertainty to a market already grappling with its fair share of question marks. Some experts viewed Trump's diagnosis as a positive for stocks, arguing that it will inspire people to take more precautions. Another school of thought suggested that any minimization of the virus' effect by Trump behalf might worsen the situation.

So which one is it? And will the election — coming our way in just four weeks — overrule whichever it is in short order?

If you aren't yet a subscriber to Insider Investing, you can sign up here.

On the election front, even though Trump has long claimed a Democratic win would tank markets, Wall Street has been increasingly arguing the opposite as Joe Biden distances himself in the polls. Just yesterday, the chief economist at Goldman Sachs said that a Biden-led blue wave would lead the firm to boost its economic growth forecasts.

JPMorgan has a more nuanced, albeit constructive view. The firm suggests that instead of tanking on a Biden win, equities will see a mass rotation into beaten-down value stocks. That could mean a stock-picking bonanza.

This renewed market volatility and the resulting range of forecasts has informed Business Insider's work in recent weeks. See below Business Insider's best Investing stories of the week, which include a wide array of additional recommendations, strategies, and tips for navigating uncertainty.

Thanks for reading!

-- Joe

An exclusive interview with investing pioneer Rob Arnott

The world's biggest and best investment firms pay Rob Arnott for advice. For years, Arnott has spread the gospel of an investment strategy known as "smart beta," which has evolved into one of the world's hottest investment strategies and grown into a roughly $1 trillion industry.

In an exclusive interview, Arnott shared with Business Insider he's seeing opportunities and finding value now. While he sees some big bubbles forming, he also identifies sectors where he see "extraordinary bargains."

Read the full story here:

'We are going to see some big shifts in the coming 3 to 6 months': Investing pioneer Rob Arnott sounds the alarm on 'quite a few bubbles' in the market, including the tech boom — and tells us where he is finding bargains now

Secrets from a portfolio manager dominating the market

The Alger Small-Cap Focus Fund and Mid-Cap Focus Fund, managed by Amy Zhang, have returned 27.39% and 46.08% this year, respectively. Both have outperformed their benchmarks and nearly all of their category peers.

Small- and mid-cap stocks are not only attractive on a valuation basis but also more insulated from political and geopolitical tensions, Zhang told Business Insider. She also shared four stock picks that have helped drive her outperformance across both funds.

Read the full story here:

A portfolio manager who's outperforming nearly all of her peers this year shares 4 high-conviction stocks driving her strong performance across 2 funds

Overhauling how to protect against stock crashes

In September, defensive assets that investors use to hedge stock-market losses performed at their weakest since the Global Financial Crisis. JPMorgan's John Normand recently laid out three alternatives to defensives that investors can consider to hedge their bets.

Read the full story here:

JPMORGAN: The best defenses against stock-market crashes are delivering their weakest results in a decade. Here are 3 ways to adjust your portfolio for this predicament.

Stock pick central

Seeking experts who are willing to name names? Look no further:

• BANK OF AMERICA: Buy these 29 high-quality value stocks primed to cash in on the economic recovery
• GOLDMAN SACHS: Buy these 16 stocks best-positioned to take advantage of unprecedented Fed money printing and potentially higher inflation in the years ahead
• MORGAN STANLEY: Buy these 16 stocks to cheaply invest in next-generation technologies and reap the future profits they generate
• Sustainable-stock funds are snapping up shares of these 20 companies — and most of them beat the market during September's turmoil, RBC says
• Bank of America says buy these 11 stocks to profit as e-commerce and robotics revolutionize their businesses and keep them growing faster than peers
• Morgan Stanley shares European stocks across 5 sectors that will soar in a post-COVID recovery

Chart of the week

The chart above reflects the futility of owning assets that have served as historically reliable hedges: US Treasurys, gold, the Japanese yen, emerging-market bonds, and quality stocks.

In response to this, JPMorgan's John Normand recently laid out three alternatives to defensives that investors can consider to hedge their bets.

Click here for more details

Quote of the week

"A typical basket of defensives is functioning about as well as fire insurance that covers just one bedroom in the house."

— John Normand, JPMorgan's head of cross asset fundamental strategy, discussing just how poorly traditional stock-market hedges have been working recently

• Piëch Automotive is a Swiss EV sports car startup that’s headed up by ex-BMW, Tesla, Porsche, and Volkswagen employees.
• Matthias Müller is the newly appointed chairman, formerly of Porsche and Volkswagen after the diesel scandal fallout. He was ousted from the company in 2018.
• The Piëch GT2 is an all-electric two-seater sports car that boasts an estimated range of up to 310 miles.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Normally, news about leadership at yet another EV sports car startup would just get lost in the shuffle, but this one might pique your interest. Piëch Automotive, a Swiss sports-car company headed up by a bunch of men from Tesla, BMW, Porsche, and Volkswagen, just added Matthias Müller to its leadership team.

If Müller's name sounds familiar, it's because he was Martin Winterkorn's replacement as CEO of Volkswagen after the former stepped down in the wake of the diesel cheating scandal. Müller was the CEO of Porsche at the time.

Three years later, in 2018, Volkswagen voted to oust Müller and replaced him instead with Dr. Herbert Diess, formerly of BMW.

Now, Piëch Automotive announced that Müller is its newly appointed chairman. The company has completed its first round of funding with the help of investor Peter Thiel. The next round of funding will include amassing enough capital needed to launch a production car.

The company said that the design for the Piëch GT2, its all-electric sports car, has been "finalized." The GT2 is apparently highly flexible, where various body styles and drive types can be implemented. 

The car represents the first of three planned concepts, the company said. It's a two-seater and can have a range of 400 kilometers, or about 250 miles, to 500 kilometers, or about 310 miles. These are estimates based on European WLTP standards. 

The car will regain 80% of its battery capacity after just four minutes and 40 seconds of charging, the company continued. Additional estimates quote a sub-three-second time to get from 0 to 62 mph.

At a launch event at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show, Piëch Automotive also showed off its Mark Zero EV concept coupe.

Piëch Automotive was founded a few years ago by Rea Stark, who serves as its current creative director and has experience with Sony, LG, and Samsung, and Toni Piëch, a current board member and a son of Ferdinand Piëch.

Ferdinand Piëch once headed up the Volkswagen Group. He was responsible for turning the company into the giant conglomerate it is today. Under him, Volkswagen Group acquired Lamborghini, Bentley, and Bugatti.

In addition to Müller, Piëch, and Stark, the company's other leadership members include Klaus Schmidt from BMW, Andreas Henke from Porsche, and Jochen Rudat from Tesla. 

• Leonard Schleifer and George Yancopoulos, the billionaire doctors behind Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, are worth nearly $4 billion combined.
• President Trump took a high dose of the experimental 'antibody cocktail' that Regeneron is developing to treat his case of COVID-19.
• Even before he took the drug, the president was friendly with Schleifer.
• Yancopoulos told The New York Times that the president's request to take the antibody cocktail left him 'conflicted.'
• Schleifer handles the business end of Regeneron's operations, while Yancopoulos heads up the medical research needed to develop the company's products.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The antibody cocktail that President Trump took to fight his case of COVID-19 was the brainchild of a pair of billionaire doctors.

Leonard Schleifer and George Yancopoulos, the leaders of the pharmaceutical giant Regeneron, built a multibillion-dollar company with a reputation for producing drugs at a breakneck pace and built fortunes that rival the president's in the process.

Representatives of Schleifer and Yancopoulos at Regeneron did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment on the billionaires' personal histories, net worths, or careers at Regeneron.

Keep reading to learn more about Regeneron billionaires Leonard Schleifer and George Yancopoulos.

Read more: Trump just received Regeneron's experimental COVID-19 treatment. Here's the inside story of the biotech and its 2 billionaire founders.

Regeneron CEO Leonard Schleifer, 68, is a neurologist by trade.

Schleifer, the son of a sweater manufacturer who worked as a code breaker during World War II, was raised in a home on Queens Boulevard in New York City, just blocks away from his future business partner George Yancopoulos, but the two did not meet until decades later, Forbes reported.

Before founding Regeneron in 1988, Schleifer earned both a medical degree and a Phd from the University of Virginia and was an assistant professor of neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College, per Forbes.

President George Yancopoulos, 61, leads Regeneron's research and development efforts.

The son of Greek immigrants who had been refugees in Turkey, Yancopoulos excelled at science from an early age, Forbes reported. He was the valedictorian of his class at New York's elite Bronx High School of Science and was a semifinalist in a national high-school science competition, The Wall Street Journal reported.

"Who you are is where you come from," Yancopoulos told Westchester Magazine in 2016. "I am a product of my environment who became the obsessive-compulsive science guy."

When Yancopoulos was first approached about Regeneron, he was 28 years old and teaching biology at Columbia University, per Forbes.

Despite his accomplishments, Yancopoulos told Westchester Magazine that when people first meet him they think: "That guy is supposed to be smart? He's an inventor and a scientist?"

 

 

Regeneron was initially Schleifer's idea.

Before even meeting his future business partner, Schleifer landed a $1 million venture capital investment from Merrill Lynch to found a pharmaceutical firm after negotiating during a 1988 dinner meeting at a Chinese restaurant in Manhattan's Upper East Side, Forbes reported.

Schleifer proceeded to recruit advisors and a board of directors for his new venture, one of whom introduced him to Yancopoulos, per Forbes. 

Regeneron has grown rapidly thanks to its unique development process.

To develop its drugs quickly and at a relatively low cost, Regeneron uses a proprietary process in which they insert human DNA into mice, according to Forbes.

Regeneron has produced six different drugs with this process, including its biggest moneymaker, vision loss treatment Eylea. The company sold $4.6 billion worth of that drug in 2019 alone, Forbes reported.

But before Eylea was released in 2011, a string of Regeneron drugs failed, leading some critics to say that the firm was doomed, CNN reported.

"We were never in this for the quick fix," Schleifer told CNN Business' Matt Egan in 2014. "This isn't the software business where you could write a program, everybody loves it and before you know it, you're on top of the world ... We're doing something that is pretty darn difficult."

Regeneron has also worked on treatments for Ebola and MERS, endeavors that helped prepare the company for its work on the coronavirus, Business Insider's Andrew Dunn reported.

 

The doctors reportedly have a close partnership.

Schleifer handles the business end of Regeneron's operations, while Yancopoulos heads up the medical research needed to develop the company's products, according to Forbes.

It didn't hurt that Schleifer and Yancopoulos' partnership had parental approval from the get-go. Yancopoulos' father accompanied the future chief researcher to his first meeting with Schleifer at an Italian restaurant in Westchester County, Forbes reported. Yancopoulos joined Regeneron in 1989.

"His father wanted to interview me, rather than me convincing George," Schleifer told Forbes in 2013.

Schleifer also has a relationship with President Trump.

Schleifer knows President Trump "casually," The New York Times reported. They met because Schleifer is a member at the Trump National Golf Club in Westchester County, near Regeneron's headquarters.

The billionaires have also worked together professionally. The CEO met with Trump and his coronavirus task force in early March.

 

As the COVID-19 pandemic escalated, Regeneron began work on an experimental treatment for the new virus.

With the help of $500 million in federal funding, Regeneron is developing an experimental drug to combat COVID-19 in those that have already been infected using an "antibody cocktail," per The New York Times. 

In a press release, Regeneron said that initial results from the clinical trials of the drug, begun in June 2019, showed promising results. While Regeneron's cocktail is widely considered one of the most promising treatments for COVID-19 in the pipeline, it does face stiff competition from a similar drug being developed by Eli Lilly.

Still, neither drug has received authorization for emergency use from the Food and Drug Administration, The Times reported.

President Trump was among the first people to take the experimental treatment.

Schleifer told The New York Times that Trump's doctors contacted Regeneron about the drug after the president tested positive for COVID-19.

Although the drug has yet to be approved by the FDA for use in emergency situations, President Trump was able to gain access to it through a special provision called "compassionate use" that allows patients to take drugs still going through trials when no other treatment is available.

Both Regeneron and the FDA approved the president's request to take the drug, and he was given the higher of the two doses currently being studied. Schleifer told The Times that other COVID-19 patients had been approved to take the drug as well.

"All we can say is that they asked to be able to use it, and we were happy to oblige," Schleifer told The Times Friday. "When it's the president of the United States, of course, that gets — obviously — gets our attention."

Yancopoulos told The New York Times that the president's request left him "conflicted."

"This is certainly putting us in a difficult situation ... We didn't want to decide who gets a limited number of doses," Yancopoulos told The New York Times about the president's request for early access to the drug. "I am obviously conflicted, but I probably know the science and the data as well as anyone in the world."

"If it was me I would take it," Yancopoulos said.

Yancopoulos also told The Times that the company is expecting a wave of new requests for the drug from sick patients following the president's usage of it, but a Regeneron spokesperson said that "our first priority is to maintain a sufficient supply in order to conduct rigorous clinical trials." 

Regeneron's success has already made its founders extremely wealthy and their COVID treatment stands to make them even richer.

The news of Regeneron's promising COVID-19 treatment sent its stock price up more than 60% in 2020 so far. Regeneron jumped as much as 9.7% on Monday alone after Trump took its antibody cocktail. The stock's gains have sent the net worths of Regeneron's founders soaring, too. Both of their fortunes largely stem from their stakes in Regeneron.

With an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion, Yancopoulos is the first research chief of a pharmaceutical company to achieve billionaire status, per Forbes. Schleifer has an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion.

Schleifer already lives a life of luxury.

Schleifer spends most of his time in the affluent New York suburb of Chappaqua, but also owns a 15-acre estate in Martha's Vineyard, Curbed reported. The billionaire and his wife, philanthropist Harriet Schleifer, purchased the $24.75 million property, which features a pool, detached guest house, and waterfront views, in the area's most expensive home sale of 2015.

The Schleifers have two sons, Adam and David, per The New York Times. Adam is a former US attorney who helped prosecute the "Varsity Blues" college admissions scandal, The Times reported. Adam Schleifer also used a portion of his father's wealth to fund a bid for a New York congressional seat earlier this year, but lost the Democratic primary amid allegations that he was trying to buy his way into congress.

Yancopoulos, on the other hand, reportedly spends his free time planning pranks and watching 'Gossip Girl' with his kids.

Yancopoulos' other pastimes include taking selfies and starting soup cracker fights with his two children, he told Westchester Magazine in 2016.

He is divorced and lives in Yorktown Heights, New York, per Forbes.

"He has always just been our weird, silly, always-there-for-us dad," Yancopoulos' daughter Nia told Westchester Magazine, even when "he was off curing the world's biggest diseases."

• Contractionary monetary policy is a strategy used by a nation’s central bank during booming growth periods to slow down the economy and control rising inflation.
• The Federal Reserve uses three main contractionary monetary tools: increasing interest rates, increasing banks’ reserve requirement, and selling government securities.
• The primary purpose of contractionary monetary policy is to make it harder for companies and consumers to borrow and spend money and, in turn, halt inflation.
• Visit Insider's Investing Reference library for more stories.

Economic growth is typically indicated by a rising gross domestic product (GDP) and, often, a bullish stock market. Generally, that's a good thing.

But sometimes, it can be too much of a good thing. An economy can be roaring along at too fast a clip, with excessive demand causing costs and prices to climb unchecked. This inflation threatens to outstrip wages and devalue the nation's currency.

To cool down this overheated economic engine, a nation's central bank will implement a contractionary monetary policy to slow the rapid growth and the rise in prices. 

What is contractionary monetary policy?

Contractionary monetary policy is a macroeconomic tool that a central bank — in the US, that's the Federal Reserve — uses to reduce inflation. 

The goal is to slow the pace of the economy by reducing the money supply, or the amount of cash and readily cashable funds circulating throughout the nation. It is the opposite of expansionary monetary policy. 

How do governments and central banks gauge when an economy is overheating? Generally by looking at the rate of inflation. It's natural for a rise in demand to spark some increase in the prices for goods and services. The US, for example, sees an average 2% annual inflation rate as normal. 

But if inflation is rising above its target growth rate of 2%, it acts as a warning — and becomes the key catalyst for implementing a contractionary monetary policy. 

What causes increased inflation?

Governments and central banks believe a small level of inflation is good because it spurs demand. If consumers believe that goods and services will be more expensive in the future due to increased prices, they will buy those goods and services in the present.

And of course, as per the law of supply and demand, the more they buy, the more businesses must produce. That means businesses need more workers, which means increased employment, which means more disposable income to buy goods and services, which further increases demand and prices.

The problem arises when there is too much demand in the present. If businesses cannot produce more, or their production costs increase too much, then they raise prices. Things start to cost more than their intrinsic worth, and if prices get too high, it eventually chokes off demand — because people can't afford to buy anymore. 

And if businesses over-expanded in an effort to keep up with demand, they'll be in trouble when demand dries up. 

The purpose of contractionary monetary policy is to prevent these rude shocks from happening. To slow down economic growth, the central bank must curb demand by making goods and services more expensive to buy — at least for a while.

Contractionary monetary policy tools

In the US, the Federal Reserve's contractionary monetary policy consists of three major tools:

• Increasing interest rates
• Selling government securities 
• Raising the reserve requirement for banks (the amount of cash they must keep handy)

Increasing interest rates

To curb demand and reduce the money supply, the Federal Reserve increases short-term interest rates — specifically, two of them:

• Setting the federal funds rate: This is the interest rate banks charge to make overnight loans to one another. The Federal Reserve requires that banks keep a portion of their cash deposits on hand every night (as opposed to lending them out), to make sure the institution stays solvent. If some banks are short on deposits to meet the requirement, they borrow from other banks. 
• Setting the discount rate: The interest rate the Fed charges banks that borrow money from it directly. It's higher than the fed funds rate — because the Federal Reserve is a "lender of last resort" — but moves in tandem with it.

When the Fed increases either of these rates, it becomes more expensive for banks to borrow money, leaving them with less money to lend out to customers. Plus, there's a trickle-down effect: Banks also increase the rate they charge customers for borrowing money. 

If interest rates increase, borrowing money becomes more expensive. And that often causes consumers to reduce purchases that require financing, and companies to reduce expenditures that would help grow the business.

When there is no demand, businesses sell fewer goods and services, reducing profits, requiring them to cut costs and lay off workers, which increases unemployment, resulting in less money spent in the economy, which further reduces demand. 

Low demand also induces businesses to cut their prices, which then reduces inflation. 

Selling government securities 

Another move by the Fed to contract the money supply is to sell US Treasury bonds and bills — a process known as open market operations.

The US Treasury deposits its bills and bonds at the Fed. The Fed will then sell them to financial institutions, mainly the member banks in the Federal Reserve System.

When banks purchase these T-bonds and bills, it means they have fewer funds available to lend out. This, in turn, reduces the money in circulation. Furthermore, having less money to lend means that banks charge a higher rate when they do, making borrowing (and the things they are borrowing for) more expensive.

For example, say an individual wanted to buy a house and the interest rate on a mortgage provided by a bank was 3%. But then the following week the fed funds rate was increased, causing the bank to bump the mortgage rate to 5%. 

That dream home effectively costs more now. And this increase in price may lead to the consumer holding off on a home purchase until rates come down, effectively reducing demand and money circulating in the economy.

Raising the reserve requirement

Along with maintaining a certain amount of deposits on hand every night, the Fed requires banks to adhere to a "reserve requirement" — that is, always keep a certain amount of cash on hand, in case account-holders need their funds. But it can, and does, adjust the requirements.

If the Fed wants to discourage borrowing and spending, it can increase the reserve requirement, tightening up the funds the bank has available to loan out.

Banks then might make smaller loans, or up their lending standards. This results in the same scenario of less money circulating and increased borrowing rates by banks, making borrowing money more expensive. 

Contractionary vs. expansionary monetary policy

The opposite of contractionary monetary policy is an expansionary monetary policy. 

As you might expect, it gets implemented during the opposite period of a business cycle: a contractionary phase, when there is a slowdown in the economy and GDP is decreasing. 

If this is happening, a central bank will aim to increase the money supply — make it easier to borrow and spend. And it uses the same monetary tools, only in the opposite way. 

So, in the US, the Fed will lower interest rates, decrease the reserve requirement, and buy US Treasuries to stimulate the economy by increasing aggregate demand. 

Example of contractionary monetary policy

Runaway inflation isn't a common issue. That, combined with the fact that governments want an economy to grow, means that contractionary monetary policies haven't been used that often.

The most famous instance in which inflation needed to be tamed was in the late 1970s. From 1972 to 1973, inflation jumped from 3.4% to 8.7%.

There were many reasons for this dramatic price rise, such as wage control and untying the dollar from the gold standard. To combat it, the Federal Reserve increased the fed funds rate from 6% in January to 11% in August. This reduced inflation to around 5.7%.

However, in August, the OPEC energy crisis hit, which caused oil prices to skyrocket.

Inflation reached 12.3% in 1974 and the fed funds rate hit a high of 13%.

Even though prices were rising, economic growth was still low, which led to a paradoxical period of stagflation. The country plunged into a recession and the Fed reduced rates to try and improve the situation. However, prices remained stubbornly high.

Eventually, the Federal Reserve increased interest rates to 20% in 1980, when the inflation rate was posting 14%. This move finally reversed the price trend. Inflation eventually dropped to 3.8% in 1982.

The financial takeaway

When GDP in a nation is growing too fast, causing inflation to increase beyond a desirable rate of 2%, central banks will implement a contractionary monetary policy.

The Federal Reserve, or any central bank, has three primary tools to reduce the money supply. These are increasing interest rates, raising the reserve requirement, and selling US Treasuries.

These actions effectively tighten the money supply. Both individuals and companies have less money on hand to spend, and what they do decide to buy — either outright or by borrowing — costs them more.

The result of loans, goods, and money itself becoming more expensive: a reduction in the amount consumers and businesses spend, decreasing demand. When demand decreases, then prices decrease — and inflation comes under control.

Of course, the trick with a contractionary monetary policy is to gently curb the galloping economy, but never to stop it in its tracks completely. 

Related Coverage in Investing:

Why double-dip recessions are especially difficult, and what they mean for the general state of the economy

When the Fed cuts interest rates, it affects everything from your savings account to your auto loans

What is a bear market? How to make sense of a prolonged period of decline in the stock market and invest wisely

Fed's new inflation strategy will lift profits and reduce risks for stock investors, Goldman Sachs says

The Fed is changing its approach to inflation, but that doesn't necessarily mean you should change your approach to saving

• Airbus just introduced the private jet variant of the popular A220-100 airliner called the ACJ220 or "TwoTwenty."
• The $81 million jet can house six living areas including a full shower and king-size bed while seating 18.
• Six orders have already been placed with VIP aircraft operator Comlux slated to receive the first two. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Airbus has a new private jet for sale.

The Airbus Corporate Jet 220, also called the "TwoTwenty," is the private jet version of the popular A220 airliner. A step above the likes of Gulfstream, Bombardier, and Dassault, Airbus said the driving force behind the project was that private flyers were seeking larger aircraft, hence the manufacturer's new designation: "the xtra large biz jet." 

Airbus teamed up with private jet operator and aircraft interior completion firm Comlux to come up with the first luxurious design, incorporating recent innovations in cabin technology to create a truly ultra-modern private jet. Space wasn't an issue as the airliner-sized cabin allows for massive living areas and even includes a shower and king-size bed.

As one of the newest aircraft in the skies, its buyers can enjoy the cost savings that come with an aircraft as advanced as the A220. Fuel consumption, for example, is reduced by 25% on the ACJ220 compared to previous-generation airliners thanks to new engines and other aerodynamic features.

Airbus' gamble is already paying off as six orders have been placed for the jets. Comlux has the first two orders while an undisclosed buyer has the next four. 

Take a look inside the $81 million ACJ TwoTwenty that will be roaming the skies within the next three years. 

The A220 on which the ACJ220 is based has the title of Airbus' smallest commercial aircraft and also one of its newest.

Source: Airbus

Airbus had acquired the product line from Bombardier in 2018 for only one Canadian dollar as the jet's initial manufacturer was under threat from Boeing, who was challenging a deal that Delta Air Lines had made for the aircraft.

Read More: Boeing started a trade dispute with Canada, but Airbus and Alabama ended up being the winners

Airbus was given control of the program and Bombardier eventually bowed out entirely, leaving Europe's leading manufacturer with a new jet, the design and development of which it didn't have to really pay for.

Delta Air Lines flyers might recognize the plane as it's been flying in the US since February 2019.

It will soon also join the fleets of JetBlue Airways...

And David Neeleman's Breeze Airways.

Read More: JetBlue founder David Neeleman's new airline will fly the Airbus A220, the controversial plane Boeing tried to keep out of the US

The popularity in the airline realm is largely due to its advances in fuel efficiency and passenger comfort.

Two Pratt & Whitney PW1000G geared turbofan engines, the use of lightweight composites, and other aerodynamically friendly features give the jet better fuel consumption by 25% compared to previous-generation models, making it cheaper to fly and boosting its range.

Source: Airbus

And on the inside, airline passengers are offered an ultra-quiet cabin with mood-lighting.

Even the cockpit was given a high-tech upgrade with massive display screens and sidestick controls.

The success of the A220 in the airline world nearly guaranteed a second-life as a private jet.

Enter, the Airbus Corporate Jet 220, also known as the TwoTwenty, based on the smaller A220-100.

Airbus unveiled the jet on Tuesday, citing growing demand for extra-wide cabin aircraft.

It's the latest in the Airbus Corporate Jet lineup that includes private jet variants of popular airliners including the Airbus A320neo...

Read More: See inside the world's newest private jet: a $110 million converted Airbus airliner that looks like a flying penthouse apartment

A319...

Read More: See inside an Airbus airliner turned private jet, which has a master bedroom, 2 lounges, and a dining area

And A350 XWB.

Read More: Germany just took delivery of its new VIP plane that will fly the country's top government officials – take a look

The interior completion arm of Switzerland's Comlux was chosen for the cabin product.

The 18-seat design includes six living areas across a 785-square-foot cabin.

The forward livings areas are open-concept featuring lie-flat club seats and divans with plenty of legroom.

A six-seat conference and dining space then comprise the next living area as one moves further into the plane.

In the ceiling above, an LED lighting system is featured and WiFi extends throughout the plane.

And along the cabin walls, electro-chromatic windows eliminate the need for window shades.

And of course, a king-size bed in the master bedroom that comes in handy on the longer flights of which the jet is capable.

With an extended range of 5,650 nautical miles, the ACJ220 can fly for over 12 hours non-stop. That's enough to fly from the West Coast of the US to Europe.

The entry of the A220 into the private realm has long been speculated by other aircraft interior firms who have come up with designs of their own.

A trio of aircraft designers consisting of Kestrel Aviation Management, Camber Aviation Management, and Pierrejean Vision, unveiled their A220 private jet cabin concept in June.

Read More: The new Airbus A220 is being eyed for use as a private jet. See inside a $91.5 million design with its own cinema suite and master bedroom

It includes a private office...

Massive dining and conference table...

And cinema suite.

The A220 is the next step up from the latest and greatest from Bombardier...

Read More: A businessman is selling his brand-new Bombardier Global 7500 for $70 million, the only one on the market. Take a look inside the 3-month-old jet.

And Gulfstream, who are building larger and larger aircraft.

Read More: Private jet industry CEOs say 2 new planes coming out soon will change the business forever. See inside the Gulfstream G700 and Bombardier Global 7500.

Like most of the converted airliners, these private jets are intended for the elite among the private jet set group whether they be titans of industry, billionaires, or even national governments.

Read More: See inside the 'Dutch Air Force One': a Boeing 737 private jet that the king of the Netherlands flies himself

And with six jets already on order – two from Comlux and four from an undisclosed buyer – the ACJ220 will be flying as soon as 2023.

Source: Airbus

• You can add Bitmoji to your iPhone keyboard to insert emoji stickers that look like you in messages and other documents.
• After installing the Bitmoji app, you can add it to your keyboard using the Keyboard page in your phone's Settings app.
• After it's added to your iPhone keyboard, switch between Bitmoji and other keyboards using the globe icon at the bottom left.   
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

Bitmoji lets you create enhanced, personalized emojis that are based on your own appearance. While you can send Bitmojis directly from the app, it's more convenient to add them to messages from your iPhone's keyboard. Simply installing the app doesn't add Bitmoji to your keyboard, though; you need to do that yourself.

How to add Bitmoji to the iPhone keyboard

1. If you haven't already, download Bitmoji from the App Store, create an account, and follow the instructions to customize your Bitmoji avatar. 

2. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

3. Tap "General."

4. Tap "Keyboard."

5. At the top of the Keyboards page, tap "Keyboards."

6. Tap "Add New Keyboard…"

7. In the "Third Party Keyboards" section, tap "Bitmoji."

8. You should now see Bitmoji in the list of installed keyboards. Tap "Bitmoji."

9. Turn on "Allow Full Access" by swiping the button to the right. Confirm you want to do this by tapping "Allow" in the pop-up window. 

That's it – Bitmoji is now added to your keyboard. To use it, open a messaging app, Mail, or any other app that includes the keyboard. At the bottom left of the keyboard, tap and hold the globe icon and tap "Bitmoji." You should see the full set of Bitmoji stickers, which you can paste into your message. 

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• How to add Bitmoji to your Android keyboard and use the personalized emoji library in texts and other apps
  

• How to insert emoji in Microsoft Outlook messages and make your emails more expressive

• How to use Gboard to create custom emoji with the Emoji Kitchen feature

• How to add emojis to Discord using the emoji menu, or upload your own emoji

• How to add emojis to your text in Slack, or add a custom emoji for your entire workspace to use

• The way we classify hurricanes could be misleading the public about how dangerous they really are.
• The most common scale, which measures hurricanes on a scale from Category 1 to Category 5, only takes wind speed into account.
• But water-based threats like storm surge and flooding are responsible for 90% of the deaths in powerful storms, and some experts prefer alternative measurements that factor that in.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Water is deadlier than wind when it comes to hurricanes.

In fact, water causes 90% of the loss of life related to powerful storms, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

But the way we classify hurricanes doesn't always take that into account, leading to a public misconception of how dangerous certain hurricanes actually are.

The classification system most people are used to just takes wind speed into account. There's no single scale to indicate both how strong and how wet the systems are. 

The Saffir-Simpson Scale, ranging from 1 to 5, measures the speed of sustained winds of a hurricane. It was developed in the 1970s to calculate how much wind can impact property.

A storm becomes a Category 1 hurricane when winds reach 74 mph. This kind of speed can damage roofs, sidings, and knock large branches out of trees.

"Major hurricanes" start at Category 3 once winds increase to 111 mph. They can cause devastating destruction to well-constructed buildings, and there's a high change of injury or death. Category 5 hurricanes have winds over 157 mph, and are the top of the scale. These systems can devastate large areas, leaving them uninhabitable for months. 

For a while, the Saffir-Simpson Scale also categorized storm surge, but it became difficult to communicate the specific dangers of each storm to the public, since the threats from water and wind can be so different.

Storm surge happens when winds push water from the sea onto the land flooding large areas. It's fast, powerful, and can send 10 to 20 feet of water several miles inland from the coast.

So in 2017, NOAA's National Hurricane Center started issuing official storm surge watches and warnings. 

These advisories are key to helping people prepare even if they're not directly in the path of a storm. But they still leave out potential flooding that could be caused by rainfall — which is a whole other advisory from NOAA. 

But there are a few alternatives out there. The Hurricane Severity Index is owned by StormGeo, a private weather intelligence company.

It uses a 50-point scale that measures the size of a hurricane and the intensity of its winds. Each component gets 25 points and then that final score can be used to more accurately determine the damage that could come in a storm's wake.

"Size is very important because it matters for the aerial extent of the impact — how much time a hurricane is going to hit you. Things like storm surge, wave heights, rain amounts are greater, Hurricane Severity Index co-creator Bob Weinzapfel said.

The HSI can also help people compare storms they might've already experienced to get an idea of what to expect. According to the StormGeo, the index would've placed Katrina's damage potential in line with a Category 5 instead of a Category 3 like it was labeled when it made landfall in Louisiana. Hurricane Katrina's intensity would rank only 13 out of 25, but its size would've been considered a 23 out of 25. 

"With hurricane Katrina in 2005, we didn't have in the collective like public mindset, you know, the difference between a really large, powerful storm and a compact powerful storm," Weinzapfel told Business Insider. "The pictures and the memories of Katrina aren't really about the winds, the wind damage. It's mostly about the storm surge."

Atlantic hurricane season goes from June 1 to November 30, and 2020 has been a particularly active one. NOAA predicted 19 to 25 named storms for this season and as of October 5, we've already had 25. That's already beaten last year's 18 named storms, which was also above average. 

Satellite images clearly showed the shapes of Tropical Depression Rene with Tropical Storms Teddy and Vicky out in the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Paulette in the north off the East Coast of the US, and Hurricane Sally bearing down on Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.

As of Tuesday morning, Hurricane Delta has strengthened to a Category 4 storm as it moves toward the Gulf between the Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba.

• President Donald Trump is receiving dexamethasone, a corticosteroid, along with a pair of experimental treatments for COVID-19.
• Acute euphoria is a known side effect of the steroid.
• Dexamethasone is meant to “keep things at bay,” so Trump will still have to fight off the virus as the steroid runs its course.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

President Trump started a course of the steroid dexamethasone on Saturday after a drop in blood oxygen levels, his doctor Sean Conley said. The drug treats the symptoms of COVID-19 by targeting the immune system, resulting in relief from fever and a boost in energy.

The corticosteroid is typically reserved for the sickest patients, according to the World Health Organization. Despite the presumed severity of the president's condition, he continues to project an image of good health.

"I feel better than I did 20 years ago!" Trump tweeted on Monday, announcing his discharge from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. That may have been the steroid talking.

It's possible that dexamethasone could give Trump a false sense of recovery, said Panagis Galiatsatos, MD, a pulmonary physician at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. 

"Everyone who gets steroids feels a little bit better," Galiatsatos told Business Insider. "You get a steroid euphoria in addition to no fevers and so forth. So yes, there will be a moment in time where he's going to feel like, 'Oh, this is all behind me now.'"

Along with acute euphoria, side effects of dexamethasone can include high blood sugar, sleep impairment, and psychosis, Galiatsatos said. COVID-19 patients typically receive 6mg of the steroid once per day for 10 days, as recommended based on the results of a clinical trial in the UK.

'It can make you feel good even though the disease is still pretty bad'

Even if Trump is feeling better since receiving the steroid, he still has a more than one in five chance of dying of COVID-19 given that he required supplemental oxygen, Bob Wachter, chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco, told Business Insider.

That probability increases given his additional risk factors, such as age and weight, and he has an even higher chance of needing intensive care if his respiratory symptoms worsen down the line.

"He's on a medicine, dexamethasone, that can kind of cover up some of the symptoms," Wachter said. "It can make you feel good even though the disease is still pretty bad in you. It doesn't really change the risk that much."

Dexamethasone reduced the mortality rate for COVID-19 patients who were sick enough to require supplemental oxygen, the British RECOVERY trial found.

The reduction in mortality was greater for patients who required invasive mechanical ventilation than for patients who received non-invasive oxygen, such as the president. The latter group saw the mortality rate drop from 26.2% to 23.3%.

Steroids weaken the immune response, so it may take longer to clear the virus

The benefits of taking a steroid like dexamethasone come with the cost of potentially extending the course of illness. Steroids target the immune system, not the virus itself, and a weaker immune system will take longer to fight off the virus.

Galiatsatos said doctors prescribe steroids when the immune system is overly aggressive, such as in the case of "cytokine storms" that cause some coronavirus cases to turn deadly. 

Both dexamethasone and remdesivir, another medication that Trump is taking according to his doctors, are meant to curtail the hyperactive immune response, while still allowing the immune system to continue doing what it's supposed to do: fighting off the virus.

"It's like putting up a fence around a bulldog. The bulldog will be there to do its stop and protect, but the fence — a.k.a. the steroid — is meant to not unleash the dog on everyone else," Galiatsatos said.

If prescribed to healthy patients or those with mild symptoms, dexamethasone can destroy a well-functioning immune system, Galiatsatos said. Trump's getting prescribed the steroid would suggest that he's sicker than his doctors are letting on.

The National Institutes of Health recommended against giving dexamethasone to patients who don't need assistance breathing, stipulating that the steroid is recommended only for patients who need a ventilator or extra oxygen.

Coronavirus symptoms can get better before they get worse

Even without a steroid putting a leash on the immune system, doctors have observed coronavirus patients getting better, and then worse.

Michelle Gong, the director of critical-care research at Montefiore Medical Center, said in a Q&A with the Journal of the American Medical Association in March that COVID-19 patients often seem to be "doing OK, and then at around the five- to seven-day mark they start to get worse and then develop respiratory failure."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the median time from onset of symptoms to acute respiratory distress syndrome was eight to 12 days, and the median time from onset of symptoms to ICU admission was 10 to 12 days.

Trump's top doctor told reporters on Monday that the president "may not entirely be out of the woods" for another week or so, despite an altogether optimistic evaluation of POTUS' condition.

"This isn't meant to cure. It's just meant to kind of keep things at bay," Galiatsatos said of the dexamethasone. "Even after the 10 days of getting the treatment, he will still be fighting the infection, and it could still do horrible things."

• Goldman's David Kostin told CNBC on Tuesday that markets are expecting a blue wave election victory, citing polling and betting market data. 
• The chief US equity strategist said that consequential moves in the market may not be that dramatic because a large fiscal stimulus may offset higher taxes proposed by a Democratic government. 
• He added that ultimately a vaccine for the coronavirus is more important for the future of the US economy than who wins the election. 

• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Goldman Sachs' David Kostin told CNBC on Tuesday that markets are pricing in a blue wave victory, and consequential moves after the election may not be dramatic. 

The chief US equity strategist said investors are looking at polling and betting markets that have recently demonstrated a consensus expectation of a blue wave. He also said that the recent back-up in interest rates could be because investors are expecting a large fiscal stimulus that stems from a Democratic sweep. 

"The expectation of a fiscal stimulus, a very large fiscal stimulus is certainly starting to creep into people's earnings models and forecasts," Kostin said.

He added that any consequential movements in markets after this outcome may not be dramatic, as additional fiscal stimulus from a President Biden would likely offset the higher corporate taxes he has proposed.

"From a fiscal stimulus point of view, that is additive to earnings, there's more revenues for corporations. The taxes, basically would reduce some of that," he said.

Read more: JPMorgan's $1.9 trillion asset management firm shares the 5 biggest opportunities it's recommending for clients across markets during the fourth quarter

The timing of the tax proposal under Biden presidency is "critical" for how markets move. He expects the taxes to be "phased in" and said they won't impact earnings until potentially 2023.

The stock chief also said that ultimately a vaccine matters more for the future of the US economy than the presidential election.

"It's a medical problem that has disrupted the economy and society, and ultimately there needs to be a solution and the vaccine really is the most important issue."

• More teens say they're buying and selling clothing secondhand, according to Piper Sandler's latest "Taking Stock With Teens" survey.
• Thrift stores and secondhand e-commerce marketplaces are taking market share away from off-price retailers like TJ Maxx as well as major department stores like Macy's and Nordstrom. 
• The resale market is exploding as awareness around fashion's impact on the environment grows. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Teens are embracing secondhand clothing. 

According to the latest version of Piper Sandler's semiannual "Taking Stock With Teens" survey, young Americans are buying more from thrift stores and secondhand marketplaces like Depop, Poshmark, The RealReal, Tradesy, ThredUp, and Mercari than they have in the past. 

About 46% of teens from upper-income households surveyed by Piper Sandler said they have purchased clothing secondhand, while 58% have sold their used clothing to others. 

The trend has picked up significantly since earlier this year, especially among female teens.

The last time Piper Sandler conducted its survey, in the spring of 2020, 13% of male teens from upper-income households said they had tried a secondhand e-commerce platform, while 37% of upper-income female teens said the same. This fall, though, that number rose to 18% for males, while the number of upper-income females who say they have tried resale platforms grew to 40%.

Thrift and consignment stores also ranked No. 13 as upper-income teens' favorite brand or retailer, compared to No. 44 for fall 2019's survey. 

Piper Sandler surveyed 9,800 teens with anaverage age of 15.8 across 48 states to compile its report. The average household income of respondents surveyed was $67,500.

Teens' growing interest in secondhand clothing could be a threat to department and specialty stores.

Piper Sandler asked teens about the channels where they spend money, including secondhand stores as an option for the first time in the survey's 20-year history. While online-only retailers dominated, secondhand retailers took market share away from off-price stores like TJ Maxx as well as from specialty and major department stores like Macy's and Nordstrom. All three of those categories saw declines in the survey. 

Resale continues to be a popular trend as awareness around sustainability and fashion's impact on the environment grows. According to a 2018 report from the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, the fashion industry accounts for about 10% of global carbon emissions and 20% of global waste water. 

Teens participating in the Piper Sandler survey ranked environmental issues highly as a political and social topic they care about, coming in second place in terms of importance only to racial equality. 

The resale market as a whole is expected to rise from $32 billion this year to $51 billion by 2023, according to research from ThredUp and GlobalData Retail. 

This week, Levi's launched a new program called Levi's SecondHand that allows shoppers to buy pre-owned jeans and jackets and turn in their own used denim for a store credit. Gucci and The RealReal also announced a partnership on Monday that will see the brand directly sell its own secondhand items on the resale platform. 

In May, Walmart announced a partnership with ThredUp to sell used clothing, accessories, and shoes on its website. 

Resale players hope that by encouraging customers to buy clothing secondhand, they can reduce the emissions and waste water used to produce new items. 

• Business Insider toured a preschool and daycare in Queens, New York City to see how the staff, teachers, and kids were adapting to going to school during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• New York City became the first major metropolitan area to reopen public schools amid the the ongoing spread of coronavirus. Schools opened in person beginning September 21. 
• New York City, once the epicenter of the country's virus outbreak in March and April, had brought its daily coronavirus positivity rate to below 1% for more than a month this fall. Other parts of the country reported record-high rates during this time.
• But a recent uptick in cases has already pushed the city to close schools in 9 zip codes, and a more serious outbreak could prompt all city schools to close. 
• Here's what it's like inside a newly reopened New York City preschool, where kids wash their hands after each activity, and teachers must adapt to teaching online and in person.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Little Friends School is a preschool and daycare located in Queens, New York City. Director and owner Elisa Bellere founded Little Friends School 21 years ago.

Source: Little Friends School

The school is located in Queens' Elmhurst neighborhood, a primarily Asian and Hispanic area with a median income of $53,367.

Source: Census Reporter

Elmhurst Hospital, one of the hospitals hardest hit by the pandemic, is located half a mile from the school.

Source: Business Insider

Little Friends School first shut down on March 13, when the city first ordered all schools to close. Although Bellere reopened the school as a volunteer emergency childcare center for essential workers, the school went from serving 100 kids a day to just two.

After Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced he would allow schools to reopen in-person learning at reduced capacity in August, Bellere invited families back to class. The school currently has two preschool classes with 20 students each.

Because the state allows a maximum of 15 students per class, the two preschool classes are split in half. Each group of 10 students alternates between coming to class two and three days a week.

The class schedule means teachers manage remote and in-person students at the same time. Raquavenek Ramirez, a head teacher at Little Friends, said ideally she takes care of the in-person students while another teacher spends the day with the virtual classrooms.

Sometimes, though, Ramirez does a live Zoom class for both kids online and in her class. To teach online, Ramirez uses a computer with a webcam attached that's placed close to where the in-person kids sit.

Little Friends Schools has two schedules for kids, depending on whether they are in-person or remote that day. The school recommends parents assist them with the schedule if they have time.

Ramirez said she uses Zoom, Google Classroom, and ClassDojo for online learning. She said she found adapting to the digital platforms initially challenging, and still battles with giving enough attention to students who are learning remotely.

Many students that come from non-English-speaking households required additional help from teachers to get used to the technology, Bellere said. She said some families are still waiting on city-provided computers for their kids.

(The photo is not of a Little Friends School student).

To keep kids safe when they're in class, the school bought larger carpets to allow children to sit further away from each other while they're inside.

Duct tape is used to block off separate sections where children work and play to maintain distance.

Kids wash their hands after each activity, before and after going outside, before and after eating, and at other times, too. Bellere said they wash their hands more than once an hour.

Students and staff are instructed to keep masks on all day. Ramirez and Bellere both said they were pleasantly surprised at how quickly students had adapted to frequent hand washing and wearing masks. "They are the best part," Bellere said of her students.

Bellere also changed the way the school welcomes kids in. Parents are no longer allowed inside to pick up their kids, and visitors must fill health screening paperwork and wash their hands before coming in. Office staff sit at other corners of the room to keep as much distance as possible.

Little Friends School has also invested hundreds of dollars in cleaning supplies, including a $1,000 electrostatic cleaning machine. Teachers sanitize and clean touched surfaces between each class, on the playground, and in other spaces.

As a daycare provider and small business owner, Bellere said she has taken a financial hit due to the pandemic. The smaller number students enrolled in her daycare, combined with the purchase of cleaning supplies, has been "astronomical," she said. Bellere said she had to reduce hours and staff, but hopes to get additional government funding.

The House has passed two bills that would provide $100 billion in direct childcare funding over the next five years, but the Senate has yet to move forward on the legislation. Without relief, experts warn one in three daycare providers could close permanently.

Source: Business Insider

Ramirez and Bellere both said they are concerned that schools closing again would disrupt the schedule that kids were just getting used to. But Ramirez said she's better equipped to teach fully online now than in March. "We're more connected — I didn't have the tools I have now a few months ago," she said. "It'll be a change, but I think we'll be in a better position."

• If you think you've contracted the coronavirus, you'll need to notify your boss to get time off to recover.
• Do not go into work, especially if you're working in person at an essential business or attending meetings.
• If your work hasn't released a formal COVID-19 plan, refer to the federal and state governments' regulations.
• Outline a plan on your recovery time, consider transferring responsibilities, and remember that you don't need a note proving you tested positive.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Maybe you've woken up with a fever, or suddenly can't taste the normally-delicious home-chef feast you've cooked up. Maybe you've just been around someone who's come down with coronavirus, so you know you've almost certainly been exposed to the disease.

For whatever reason, if you think you have COVID-19, you're probably already stressed enough about your health and the health of your loved ones — the last thing you likely want to be thinking about is work. Unfortunately, one of the first things you need to think about is work. You'll want to communicate with your company quickly to come up with a plan for how you'll navigate through this disease together. 

And while you kind of already know how to handle this — you've probably called in for sick days before — it's also uncharted territory in terms of how you'll feel, emotionally and physically, and how much time you'll need to heal. 

We're here to make the process easier for you. Business Insider chatted with HR and workplace communication experts to compile your step-by-step guide for dealing with work when you think you have COVID-19.   

Don't go into work, effective immediately

A quick note on public health bears repeating: If you're working at an essential business that is still requiring employees to come in and work, that needs to stop as soon as you even have an inkling that you may have coronavirus. 

Don't wait a few days to see how it pans out. Don't go in to talk to your boss about the fact that you might have the disease. Don't go into meetings or attend events. Full stop. In doing so, you very much risk spreading it to more people. 

If you're in this situation, you're going to want to reach out to your boss via email immediately to let them know not to expect you in that day and going forward, so you might not have time to go through all the steps below.

A quick note like this should give them a heads up and buy you some time to prep before you have a full conversation:

Hi [boss' name],

I've woken up this morning with some symptoms similar to COVID-19 and, to avoid potentially spreading it, don't think it's wise for me to come in today. Can we set up some time later today to talk about the best plan moving forward?

[Your name]

If you're already working from home, skip this initial message and take a little time to fully prepare before you raise the flags. 

Look for your company's policy

There's a chance your company has already done the hard work for you and released a policy for exactly how it should be handled if an employee comes down with coronavirus, outlining who should be notified, what time off you're entitled to, etc. If you haven't been avidly reading every bid of crisis communication they've been putting out, double check your recent all-company emails to see if there are guidelines you should follow. 

Even if your company hasn't released a policy yet, the federal government has, and it's worth reviewing what time off you're allowed if you need it. 

As Annmarie Neal, CHRO at HR tech company Ultimate Software, said, "The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) that goes into effect on April 2 provides funds for employers with fewer than 500 employees to offer two weeks (80 hours) of paid sick leave for anyone who is unable to work because they are quarantined under government order or on the advice of a healthcare provider." They are required to offer this leave at 100% of your salary, up to $511 a day. If your company is under 50 employees, they may ask to be exempt if it "would jeopardize the viability of the business," Neal added. 

This is also a good time to check in on how many sick and vacation days you have accrued in case you need to use them, and what your company's policy on unpaid sick leave is for a worst-case scenario. 

"In states like California with mandated sick pay laws in place, employees have the option of whether to use their sick days or not," Neal said. "If the employee wants to save those sick days for another time, employers would then need to honor that request and offer unpaid time off. Some employers may choose to advance vacation or paid time off to help employees cover absences due to COVID-19, but they are not required to do so."

Reflect on how you're feeling and outline a plan as to how often you'll work and what will happen to your current projects

Once you know what you're entitled to, it's time to figure out what you actually need. 

People experience this disease in very different ways. You may feel completely wiped out and unable to work or, like CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, you may still feel like you're able to do your job from home. 

Your boss doesn't know how you're feeling, and Sarah Sheehan, founder and president of workplace coaching company Bravely, said she would remind an employee going through this that you're in a position to clearly communicate your needs from the get-go. When you have this conversation, she said, "Have a game plan together for how you think this should be handled."

If you feel like you're okay to keep working remotely, "Talk through how you're going to approach that," Sheehan said. For example, "Maybe you're going to take more breaks during the day. And then also have a game plan for what will happen if [you] get to a point where you don't feel like you can work," she added. 

You don't know how this will progress over the next few weeks, so lay out now what projects can be put on pause or whom you'll transfer responsibilities to. If you're a manager, you'll also want to think about how to communicate this to your employees, what they can expect from you in the coming weeks, and what you'll need from them. 

If you feel comfortable, you can also talk about your emotional needs, and what support you might need there. 

"I think that you have an opportunity here to be more vulnerable than you ever have before, and to share not just how you're going to approach your work, but how you're feeling," Sheehan said. "Like if you have high levels of anxiety or stress associated with this, I think it's completely appropriate for you to share that right now. I think sharing more actually helps to set expectations and can open up a larger dialogue."

And if you need or just want to take the time to focus on your health, communicate how much time you think you'll need and how you'll communicate with the company on your health status and when you feel you're ready to come back to work.

Reach out to your manager (or HR, or whomever you feel most comfortable with)

One you have a rough plan in place, it's time to rip the Band-Aid off and have the conversation — you'll probably feel better once you do.

"When we're in the midst of feeling like we don't know what's going to happen, we can quickly spiral into this place of worrying and our stress levels rise," Sheehan said. "Focus on what you can control in the moment, like having these conversations, being proactive, and really communicating what you need."

In terms of whether you should talk to your boss or HR first and whether you should do an email or a phone or video call, Sheehan suggested going with whatever's most comfortable for you (considering you're already under enough stress). 

"I would say identify who you have the closest relationship with. If that's someone in HR, then you should feel free to go to them, but typically it is your manager," she said. 

Then, you might open with an email along the lines of:

Hi [name],

Unfortunately, I think I may have come down with COVID-19. I'm feeling [a quick description of how you're doing] and, as of now, think I [will/will not] be able to work from home while I get through this. 

I'm thinking my plan will be [outline your plan for getting your work done or the time off you think you'll need and how you'll pass off responsibilities], including:

• [action item 1]
• [action item 2]
• [action item 3]

I'll let you know ASAP if my health status changes and we need to adjust.

Would be happy to hop on a call today to talk through this and finalize next steps. Also, please let me know if there's anything I need to do from an HR standpoint. 

Thanks,

[Your name]

What might HR need from you, you ask? 

"Your employer cannot currently require a doctor's note to prove you have tested positive for the coronavirus," Neal said, considering testing is so hard to come by in many states. But they may ask if you've been around any other employees in the past few weeks so they can notify them that they may have been exposed. 

"That said, there are privacy regulations in place that give diagnosed employees the option to control whether their name will be disclosed with affected employees," she said.

Finally, once you agree on a plan, put it in writing — and don't be afraid to communicate new needs as things progress. 

"I'm someone that will try to be the hero in every situation. Like even if I'm sick I'll say, 'Well, I can still do X, Y, and Z,' and now's not the time to do that," said Sheehan. 

Take care of yourself and don't be afraid to ask for what you need — we're all going through a crazy time right now, and most companies will be more understanding than ever.

• The Chien family was driving their Tesla Model Y home from the dealership when the roof detached from the car and fell onto the road behind them, family members said.
• "I looked up and the roof was gone," Walter Chien, a cardiologist from Stockton, CA, told Business Insider.
• This isn't the first complaint a customer has made about Tesla's quality control.
• Over the past few months, Model Y owners have reported issues ranging from panel gaps to backseats that aren't attached to the rest of the car.
• Tesla and the Dublin-Amador Plaza Tesla dealership did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

A California family said they were driving their new Tesla Model Y home from the dealership Sunday when the roof of the car blew clear off. 

"Suddenly, there was a lot of wind; it sounded like there was a window open," said Nathaniel Chien, 19, in an interview with Business Insider. "And then suddenly it lifted off."

His father, Walter Chien, a 63-year-old cardiologist, was riding in the back seat, trying to figure out the Tesla app, when he heard the blowing. "I looked up and the roof was gone," he told Business Insider.

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In recent months, Tesla has faced repeated complaints about its electric SUV's quality control. The Drive called the Model Y a "quality nightmare," since buyers have detailed issues ranging from gaps between panels and loose seatbelts to backseats that aren't attached to the rest of the car. In September, Business Insider reported that a Tesla owner found non-standard parts like plastic straps and faux wood, that looked like they were from "Home Depot," holding the cooling unit of their Mode Y in place. 

In an internal email leaked in June, Elon Musk addressed quality concerns, telling employees that they needed to "minimize rectification needs" from Model Y manufacturing, according to prior Business Insider reporting. Rectification means that a car needs to be fixed between heading off the production line and being delivered to the consumer.

Given the online chatter, Walter Chien said he expected some issues when he, his wife, and his son picked up the car from the Dublin, California Tesla dealership Sunday morning. He said he originally noticed that there was a gap on the front hood, with one side wider than the other, and had arranged to get the issue fixed. His son, Nathaniel, also said that he noticed a little creaking coming from the roof when they drove through a parking lot.

"You expect this kind of problem, but you don't expect the roof to come off," Walter Chien said. 

The family was driving at about 70 miles per hour on interstate 580 when the roof detached, Nathaniel Chien said. A representative from California Highway Patrol said that they weren't aware of any accidents resulting from the car part on the road.

"None of us knew how to react," said Nathaniel Chien. "We didn't scream or anything. There was an initial panic and then we drove in a shocked silence all the way back."

The family returned to the dealership in the new white Model Y, where the staff apologized, told them they hadn't seen anything like this before, offered to service the car, and gave the family a rental, Nathaniel Chien said. The Chiens declined to have the Model Y serviced, instead choosing to return it altogether.

On Monday, Walter Chien said that he spoke with a Tesla representative, who said that "everything was done correctly" when manufacturing the car. "To me, that was more concerning," Chien told Business Insider.

Tesla and the Dublin-Amador Plaza Tesla dealership did not respond to requests for comment about the incident.

Now, the family is still deciding whether to accept an offer to pick up a different Model Y or jettison buying a Tesla altogether. 

"It's up to my wife," Walter Chien said. She was the one driving when the roof detached and the car is legally hers, he said. 

• This fall, furniture giant Ikea is opening its first store that will only sell refurbished furniture or products made from recycled or renewable materials, according to a recent press release.
• The new store will be located in the ReTuna shopping mall in Sweden.
• Ikea also recently announced it’s committing an additional $707 million (600 million euros) to become carbon positive by 2030.
• Carbon positive means a company removes more greenhouse gases than it produces.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

This fall, Ikea is opening its first store that will only sell refurbished furniture and sustainably produced products. The second-hand store will open in the city or Eskilstuna, Sweden, specifically in the ReTuna shopping mall, the world's first "recycles mall," where everything sold there is refurbished or recycled. 

"The climate crisis cannot be solved in theory, it has to be solved in practice," Jonas Carlehed, sustainability manager of Ikea Sweden, said in a press release.

The new store is part of the furniture giant's plans to reduce its "overall climate impact by 70% per product" by 2030. The company also announced that it would only make products that are made of renewable or recycled materials by 2030, per the press release. 

In 2017, the US's Environmental Protection Agency reported that furniture accounted for 9.8 million tons of household waste.  

"At Ikea we don't want to merely be a part of the sustainability movement — we want to lead it," Carlehed added. 

The move comes around the same time executives of Ikea's parent company, Ingka holdings, announced they would invest approximately $707 million (600 million euros) in initiatives to boost renewable energy and sustainable production practices to meet the company's ambitious goal to be carbon positive by 2030. 

Carbon positive means a company goes beyond being carbon neutral (achieving net zero carbon emissions) to actually remove additional greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. 

Ikea says it has exceeded its 2020 goal to generate more renewable energy than it consumes across its operations in 30 countries. 

• White House physician Dr. Sean Conley said that President Donald Trump reported "no symptoms" of COVID-19 on Tuesday.
• The statement comes less than 24 hours after Trump returned to the White House after being hospitalized at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for three days.
• Conley has been criticized for providing misleading information about Trump's health since the president tested positive early Friday. 
• Trump has resumed downplaying the coronavirus, claiming that he could be "immune" and urging Americans to not let the pandemic "dominate" their lives. 
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

White House physician Dr. Sean Conley announced on Tuesday that President Donald Trump claims to have "no symptoms" of coronavirus, less than a day after the president was released from a three-day stay at the hospital.

"This morning the President's team of physicians met with him in the Residence," Conley wrote in a brief memo. "He had a restful first night at home, and today he reports no symptoms."

"Overall he continues to do extremely well, I will provide updates as we know more," he added.

Trump spent the weekend and most of Monday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Upon his return to the White House Monday evening, the president ascended a flight of stairs to a balcony, where he took off his mask as news cameras captured footage of him appearing to have difficulty breathing.

Trump wrote on Twitter early Friday moring that he and First Lady Melania Trump had tested positive. He then underwent a series of treatments to combat the infection, including at least two doses of supplemental oxygen and dexamethasone, a corticosteroid typically reserved for severe coronavirus cases. 

During the course of his illness, Trump's doctors and White House officials have offered conflicting accounts about his condition, treatment, and diagnosis timeline, while trying to strike a positive tone. In a press briefing on Monday, Conley said Trump is "not entirely out of the woods yet," but wouldn't provide information on imaging of the president's lungs or comment on when he tested negative last.

Health experts have noted that recovery time for the coronavirus can average around two to three weeks and Tuesday's update leaves many questions unanswered about Trump's health.

Trump himself has been trying to navigate attention away from his illness, claiming that he could be "immune" and telling Americans to not "be afraid" of the virus, which has now killed over 210,000 Americans. 

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• Amazon Prime Day 2020 starts on Tuesday, October 13. 
• Similar to past years, Amazon has already released a handful of deals in the lead-up to the event. These deals are live right now and available through Prime Day, which ends on Wednesday, October 14. 
• Highlights include four months of Amazon Music Unlimited for only $1, 50% off six months of Kindle Unlimited, and $50 off an Audible Premium Plus annual subscription.
• Prime members can also pick up a $10 credit to use on Prime Day after spending $10 on items sold by small businesses before October 12.

Amazon Prime Day 2020 arrives next week on Tuesday, October 13. While the two-day event isn't for another week,  Prime subscribers can start shopping for some early deals. Every day leading up to Prime Day 2020, Prime members can enjoy exclusive promotions and deals on Amazon products and services. Plus, Amazon is offering up bonuses for shopping small businesses and for Kindle books ahead of the deal event.

To shop these early deals and all Amazon Prime Day 2020 deals, you must be a Prime member. Sign up for a free 30-day trial here to get in on the Prime Day savings and try out the many other benefits of Prime membership. 

Here are the best early Amazon Prime Day 2020 deals and offers:

Services 

• Amazon Music Unlimited, first 4 months for $1 (originally $32) [You save $31]
• AmazonFresh, $15 off orders of $50 for new customers 
• Save 50% on a 6-month subscription to Kindle Unlimited (originally $60) [You save $30] 
• Save 50% on movie rentals or purchases from Prime Video
• Save $15 on first-time AmazonFresh order of $50+ with the code FRESH15
• Save $50 off a yearlong subscription to Audible (originally $150)
• Spend $20 on ebooks and get a $5 ebook credit

Products

• Receive a $10 credit to use on Prime Day, after spending $10 on select small business products before October 12
• Echo Dot (3rd Gen) two-pack, $40 (originally $80) [You save $40 after using the promo code DOTPRIME2PK at checkout]
• Insignia 50-inch smart 4K UHD Fire TV, $250 (Typically selling between $300-$350) [You save $100]
• Toshiba 55-inch smart 4K UHD Fire TV, $300 (Typically selling between $350-$450) [You save $150]
• Toshiba 43-inch smart 1080p Fire TV, $180 (Typically selling between $200-$230) [You save $50]
• Roborock S5 MAX robot vacuum, $440 (Typically selling for $550) [You save $110]
• Fire TV Recast, $130 (Typically selling between $150-$230) [You save $100]
  
• Save up to 60% on select subscription boxes
• Save up to 20% on select school supplies
• Save up to 40% on daily essentials
• Save up to 30% on select smart home products
• Save up to 40% on select clothing styles including Amazon Essentials and Goodthreads

When you buy through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more.

• Amazon has introduced a new delivery option for Prime members called Amazon Day, which allows you to choose any day of the week (except Sunday) to receive all of your orders at one time.
• You won't be locked in to whichever day you choose — you can change your day preference at any time.
• This predictable and less wasteful shipping program does not replace Amazon's current same-day, one-day, two-day, and no-rush shipping policies. You can still pick and choose the most appropriate delivery option for each of your orders.
• With Prime day coming up this October 13 and 14, prepare by learning what an Amazon Day is, and how to set your own.

Amazon Day is one of the newer additions to Amazon's wide variety of Prime delivery options, which include same-day, one-day, two-day, and no-rush shipping.

By setting an Amazon Day, Prime members can choose a specific day of the week when all orders will arrive together, rather than receive each individual order as soon as they are available. Considering that Amazon Prime Day 2020 is just around the corner, scheduling shipments is a handy option to have. For many shoppers, this event will involve several orders that would otherwise be shipped individually.

With Amazon Day you'll know exactly when your items will arrive and they'll be grouped together whenever possible, reducing packaging waste. You can also plan ahead to receive your orders in person, to lower the risk of packages going missing.

The best part: it's a free perk for Prime members. Most items that are eligible for Prime free 2-day shipping and shipped by Amazon can be ordered with Amazon Day. Eligibility varies, though, so make sure to double-check your order at checkout to ensure you're ordering with Amazon Day shipping. 

It's an attractive option to have if you regularly order from Amazon, aren't in a rush to receive your item immediately, and want to reduce packaging waste. It's also helpful for anyone who prefers or needs to be home to receive their packages.

How to use Amazon Day

When you take your cart to checkout, you'll notice that Amazon Day is now a delivery option below the other Prime delivery options:

Click 'Choose Your Amazon Day' and the window below pops up. Your order can be delivered Monday through Saturday. All items ordered throughout the week will be delivered on your chosen day, as long as you order it at least two days beforehand. 

Your Amazon Day preference is now saved. You aren't locked into it either — you can always choose any of the other Prime shipping options or select a different Amazon Day if you need your order sooner.

• Second- and third-quarter growth was better than expected, but the global economy is still a long way from full recovery, Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said in a Tuesday speech.
• The IMF will make a "small upward revision" to its 2020 growth forecast next week after estimating a 4.9% annual contraction in June, she said.
• Still, all countries now face "a difficult climb that will be long, uneven, and uncertain," Georgieva warned.
• For one, the use of unprecedented fiscal aid will bring the global public debt balance to a record-high 100% of GDP in 2020, according to the IMF.
• Uncertainty around the coronavirus's trajectory also poses a significant risk to recovery efforts, Georgieva said.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The global economy is recovering faster than expected but still faces a lengthy and arduous return to pre-pandemic levels, Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, said.

The organization is set to reveal its updated growth forecast next week after projecting a 4.9% contraction in global gross domestic product in June. The new estimate should skew to the upside, Georgieva said a Tuesday speech. Growth in the second and third quarters exceeded estimates thanks to major economies providing roughly $12 trillion in fiscal stimulus. In all, the IMF will soon make a "small upward revision" to its 2020 growth forecast, the managing director said.

Yet the world's battle with the coronavirus and its economic toll is far from over. Next year will bring "a partial and uneven recovery" as major economies roar back to life and emerging markets face a riskier rebound, Georgieva said.

"All countries are now facing what I would call 'the long ascent,' a difficult climb that will be long, uneven, and uncertain. And prone to setbacks," she added.

Read more: GOLDMAN SACHS: Buy these 25 stocks expected to generate the greatest returns on their shareholders' investments over the next year as market-wide earnings remain low

One such setback will likely be the unwinding of unprecedented stimulus. The IMF expects global public debt to reach 100% of global GDP for the first time ever in 2020, leaving countries at heightened risk of a credit downgrade should revenues fail to recover.

Permanent job losses and bankruptcies can also stifle a bounce-back. While GDP may swing higher for the foreseeable future, global output will trend below pre-pandemic projections for the medium term, Georgieva said. The output slump will also slow improvements to living standards.

Economies' climbs to past highs will also take place amid "extraordinary uncertainty," the managing director said. The rollout of a coronavirus vaccine and effective containment measures could accelerate a country's ascent. Similarly, fresh outbreaks and renewed lockdowns could drag economies back into steep recessions.

Read more: JPMorgan's $1.9 trillion asset management firm shares the 5 biggest opportunities it's recommending for clients across markets during the fourth quarter

Countries should prioritize defending citizens' health, avoiding premature stimulus withdrawal, employing flexible forward guidance, and dealing with newly boosted debt balances, Georgieva said. The path ahead is a bumpy one, but it presents economies with the chance to resolve lingering issues, she added.

"We cannot afford simply to rebuild the old economy, with its low growth, low productivity, high inequality, and worsening climate crisis," the managing director said.

She continued: "We know that previous generations had the courage and resolve to climb the mountains they faced. It is now our turn."

Read more: A 20-year hedge-fund vet shares the 3 stocks he thinks make the perfect play for a booming housing recovery as the US heads for the suburbs

• You can upload a video to YouTube from your iPad in just a few steps — just make sure you download the YouTube mobile app first.
• To upload a video to YouTube from your iPad, you'll first need to grant the app permission to access your media library, camera, and microphone.
• You can edit your video clip within the YouTube app, as well as add a title and description.
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

Once you have the YouTube app on your iPad, you can easily add any videos so that your friends, family, and others can enjoy the clips. 

Just note that in order to share videos to YouTube from your iPad, you will have to allow the app considerable access to your device. 

That said, the ease of the upload process once your iPad is configured is pretty remarkable. Just follow these steps to share your clips with the world.

How to upload a video to YouTube from your iPad 

1. Open the YouTube app and then tap the camera icon at the top of the screen. If you have never uploaded a video from your iPad before, you'll have to grant YouTube access to your library, camera, and microphone.

2. Tap the video you wish to upload, trim it as you wish, and if you want, add a filter using the icon at the center bottom of the screen.

3. Tap "NEXT" in the top right corner of the screen, then add a title and description.

4. Tap "UPLOAD" in the top right corner and that's it, your video will be posted to your YouTube channel.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• How to delete your own YouTube videos on a computer or mobile device

• How to create a YouTube playlist, add or remove videos, and set its privacy settings

• How to temporarily hide or permanently delete your YouTube account, and erase any trace of yourself from the site

• How to play YouTube videos in the background on your iPhone without having to keep the app open

• Facebook's Manage Activity feature lets you view and remove your Facebook post history quickly and in bulk on the desktop site and mobile app. 
• With Manage Activity, you can archive content you don't want others to see but still want to keep for yourself, with the ability to unarchive those posts at any time.
• You can also use the Facebook tool to trash content, putting it in a deletion bin where it will stay for 30 days before being permanently removed from the platform. 
• The Facebook Manage Activity filter also helps you locate specific content by post type, person, or from a specific date range. 
• Visit Business Insider's Tech Reference library for more stories.

Have you ever applied for a job and when asked to link your Facebook profile wonder, "Do I want these people to see my last few posts?" 

What about a relationship you wish you could get rid of every photo of? Or maybe you occasionally get passionate about a certain subject, only to realize you've gone overboard on posts about it.  

Whatever the reason behind you wanting to delete posts, notes, photos, videos and more en masse, there's good news. Facebook is slowly rolling out a new feature that's going to make your life a lot easier.

With the Manage Activity feature, you can manage a large group of posts at once, deciding whether to archive or permanently delete them. This saves you the hassle of having to scroll through and delete each individual post.

It's still currently in beta testing, so you may only have the tool available on the mobile app or website, if either. If you do have access, here's how to use the Manage Activity feature on the app and site. 

How to use Facebook's Manage Activity feature on the mobile app

1. Open the Facebook app on your phone or tablet. 

2. Open the app's Settings Menu.

3. Tap your name to go to your profile.

4. Select the ellipsis button to open your profile settings menu.

5. Choose Activity Log.

6. In the top menu, tap Manage Activity.

7. In the pop-up window that appears, tap "Your Posts" 

8. Check off the posts you no longer want publicly visible. 

9. Select either Archive or Trash. 

10. If you want to move a post from Archive or Trash, at the top of the "Your Posts" page, select either Archive or Trash, depending upon where you want to move the post to. 

11. Once again, select any posts you want to move.

12. At the bottom of the window, you'll see two options for places to move your posts. Tap Archive or Trash to move it from one location to the other location. 

13. Tap Restore to put the post back on your Facebook profile. 

How to use Facebook's Manage Activity feature on the desktop website

1. Log into Facebook.

2. In the upper left corner, click your profile photo.  

3. Select See your profile. 

4. In the Posts box, select Manage Posts.

5. Click Filters in the top right corner of the pop-up window. 

6. Adjust your filters by year, poster, privacy settings, and tagged posts. 

7. Check the boxes next to the posts you want to manage or choose "Select All."   

8. Click Next. 

9. Choose to Hide Posts, Remove Tags, or Delete Posts. 

10. Click Done.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• How to untag yourself on Facebook from posts and pictures on the desktop site and mobile app

• How to delete photo albums on your Facebook profile using a computer or mobile device

• How to edit a post on Facebook and view its edit history

• How to see your Facebook Memories on a computer or mobile device

• How to change your relationship status on Facebook, and adjust who can see it