The world has been awash in a wave of good news in the last two weeks. Both Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) have announced Phase III vaccine trials that boast of a higher-than-90% efficacy rate. Not to be outdone, the Russian Direct Investment Fund then announced that its vaccine candidate, named Sputnik V, showed a 92% efficacy rate. Now, a fourth pharmaceutical company, AstraZeneca (LON: AZN) has announced that its vaccine showed a 70% efficacy rate and can be stored in a regular fridge. These almost back-to-back announcements possibly herald a new hope for mankind during this painful pandemic. As at the time of writing, the benchmark Straits Times Index (SGX: ^STI) is up almost 20% since the beginning of November. The surge has been a welcome surprise but raises questions as to whether businesses can finally enjoy a welcome respite from the tough challenges they faced this entire year....