Good morning, here’s your Thursday morning briefing to set you up for the day ahead. Look out for these three things happening around the world today.

Walmart hoping for strong results ahead of holiday season

Walmart stock is edging back towards its 2018 peak, having seen steady growth over the past month after it told investors in October that it was building for the future while maintaining sales today. Those investors will be hoping to see some results today, as the American retailer releases its results from the third quarter of 2018.

Analysts have predicted earnings of approximately $1.01 per share on revenues of $125.4bn.

Despite its late entry into ecommerce, Walmart hopes to rival Amazon as shoppers increasing turn to the internet. The company has set itself the target of increasing online sales by 40% each year, and investors will likely be paying close attention to online sales too.

The retailer will release a pre-recorded phone call detailing Q3 results at 6am CT (12 noon London time).

EU seeks strengthened relations with South Africa

As Britain continues to fret over Brexit, European Union leaders will turn their attention to forming new relationships.

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Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, and Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, will host Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa for talks today, beginning at 9am London time, in the hopes of strengthening relations with the African nation. A press conference will follow shortly after at 12:10pm London time.

Ramaphosa arrived in Europe yesterday for the SA-EU Summit, where he addressed the European Parliament. Points of discussion at this year’s summit include economic issues, co-operation on trade and investment, co-operation on development, global challenges such as migration, multilateralism, and regional issues.

Cyber security experts discuss digital climate

Security experts will descend on London today for the Cyber Security Summit & Expo 2018, the United Kingdom’s largest cyber security event.

Speakers include NHS England Chief Information Office Will Smart, who will take part in a panel discussion on getting cyber security operations up to date, dealing with the board on cyber security issues, and protecting against new threats.

Last year saw parts of the NHS crippled by the WannaCry virus, which demanded payment to regain access to compromised computer systems, which is likely to come up during the debate.

The one-day summit’s aim is to further understanding and encourage best practices when it comes to cyber security, with more than 60 keynote sessions from industry experts throughout the day.


Yesterday’s highlights

How Stan Lee’s superheroes turned Marvel into a multi-billion-dollar movie studio

Brexit uncertainty will continue for a decade, financial expert warns

World Diabetes Day: What is the connection between diabetes and CV conditions?