'Very explosive situation': World awaits US poll results with bated breath

In financial markets, investors struggled to make sense of it all, sending some indexes up and others down

From Ford Model T cars that popped off the assembly line in just 90 minutes to 60-second service for burgers, the United States has had a major hand in making the world a frenetic and impatient place, primed and hungry for instant gratification.

So waking up to the news Wednesday that the winner of the US election might not be known for hours, days or weeks — pundits filled global airwaves with their best guesses — came as a shock to a planet weaned on that most American of exports: speed.

’’We have to have a little patience, almost certainly a lot