Archive: Economic and Financial Digest
August 31, 2020 | Economic and Financial Digest
The Recovery Enters Perilous Stage
The rebound in jobs, production and consumer spending in recent months strongly indicates that the recovery from the harsh Covid-19 recession is underway. To be sure, the recovery may be cut short if the escalation of virus cases in many parts of the nation turns into a full-blown second wave or if the lapsed fiscal […]
July 30, 2020 | Economic and Financial Digest
The Uneven Impact of Covid-19
Just as government-mandated lockdowns sent the economy into a tailspin in March and April, the lifting of restrictions and the reopening of businesses propelled activity higher in May and June. In fact, the rebound in jobs, spending and other key indicators has been stronger than expected. But, the easy lifting is largely behind us now […]
June 26, 2020 | Economic and Financial Digest
Coming Back to Life
The healing process has begun. With important economic data for May now in the books, it looks like the economy hit bottom in April. Not only have most economic indicators rebounded in May, they have come back much more strongly than expected on Wall Street. That together with some promising signs on the health front […]
May 27, 2020 | Economic and Financial Digest
Don’t Fear Inflation
The coronavirus recession has hit the U.S. with tremendous force. Following the sizeable 4.8 percent contraction in GDP during the first quarter – putting an end to the longest expansion on record—activity is poised to plunge by a depression-like 30- 40 percent annualized rate in the second quarter. The downturn is taking a unprecedented toll […]
April 24, 2020 | Economic and Financial Digest
Expect the Deepest Postwar Recession
The Covid-19 recession continues to wreak havoc on all sectors of the U.S. economy. Assuming 10-12 weeks of social-distancing and shelter-in-home restrictions from mid-March, the economy is poised to suffer the worst contraction during the second quarter since World War II. The decline in GDP, the broadest measure of economic activity, could reach an astonishing […]