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Unemployment drops to 6.9% and U.S. adds 638,000 jobs

Nov 6, 2020
Eight months after the virus struck, the U.S. economy still has recovered barely half the that were lost to the pandemic.
The economy, which had rebounded sharply in the July-September quarter as businesses reopened from virus-related shutdowns, is now expanding more slowly.
Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images

Paid sick leave prevents thousands of COVID cases daily, study says

Nov 5, 2020
But the U.S. is way behind most developed countries in mandating paid sick leave.
Nurse and health care workers in the Bronx, New York, rally against a policy requiring a doctor's note to receive paid sick leave in April.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

As office workers mostly work from home, coffee and breakfast chains scramble to boost sales

Nov 5, 2020
The change in your morning routine is impacting the grab-and-go breakfast business.
Fast-food chains were investing more heavily in breakfast foods before the pandemic started.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Continuing unemployment claims are down, but that doesn't tell the whole story

Nov 5, 2020
No state lets people stay on unemployment benefits for more than 26 weeks.
Unemployment benefits are running out for people who have been out of work for six months.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

What happens to consumer spending next in the stop-and-go COVID-19 economy?

Nov 5, 2020
It doesn't look good, considering the pandemic is still raging and there's no additional federal relief yet.
A man waits for his lunch order at relatively empty Grand Central Market in downtown Los Angeles in June.
Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

Toilet paper companies work to keep shelves stocked as shortage risk returns

Nov 5, 2020
The real challenge is making sure toilet paper hits shelves at the same pace consumers are buying it.
Like in the spring, the problem this winter isn’t necessarily running out of product, but making sure it reaches shelves at the same pace consumers are buying it up.
Christopher Furlong/Getty Images

Worrying comes with costs

Nov 5, 2020
But worrying also comes with a few benefits.
A woman turns away in frustration after arguing with a Trump supporter at a pro-police rally in June in Torrance, California.
David McNew/Getty Image

For public good, not for profit.

751,000 seek unemployment aid; layoffs still up amid virus resurgence

Nov 5, 2020
Eight months after the pandemic flattened the economy, weekly jobless claims still point to a stream of layoffs.
A surge in viral cases and Congress’ failure so far to provide more aid for struggling individuals and businesses are threatening to deepen Americans’ economic pain.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

With a divided government likely, chances of a big economic relief plan wane

Nov 4, 2020
As the pandemic continues, it may fall to the Federal Reserve to find more ways to boost the economy.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in July. A divided government will make it harder to pass COVID-19 relief, which has already been a challenge for politicians.
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

Jobless Americans struggle to get and keep benefits

Nov 4, 2020
More than seven months into the pandemic, more people are filing for unemployment benefits every week than at any point in the Great Recession.
Protesters call on Florida to fix its unemployment system.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images