Week of March 16th, 2020

Goldman’s growth forecast, TSA data and why we need a little Christmas (right this very minute).

That authority was curbed during the 2008 financial crisis. Some are arguing that power should be returned.

Today, we’ll tell you what to keep an eye on. Plus: A few stories from a tidal wave of layoffs, and is Boeing too big to fail?

The aircraft maker is also a space and defense company, “a huge provider of government services,” one expert says.

The big U.S. airlines spent almost all of their free cash flow buying back their own shares in the last decade. Now they want government aid.

Alumni, professors and fellow students have donated time, money and resources to help those who have to leave campus but don’t have an easy path home.

More and more organizations are starting to make their content accessible to the public.

Stocks mixed to start the day. California gets an order to “stay at home.” Financial institutions in New York have been ordered to waive, for now, some mortgage payments. How will COVID-19 affect the spring homebuying season?

If the government does bail out airlines and other industries, what might be required of those companies?

Supermarket chain Kroger is hiring 10,000 people. Goldman Sachs predicts first-time unemployment claims will soar to 2.25 million. The White House wants $50 billion to help U.S. airlines stay alive, and another $150 billion for other distressed industries.

Some businesses can stay open, and Californians can still leave to get things like food and health care.

“There’s plenty of food in the supply chain,” said Rodney McMullen, CEO of the supermarket chain Kroger.

Packed open houses mean lots of people touching doorknobs and flipping light switches.

More than 8% of COVID-19 cases in Italy are among health care workers. European shares rise as oil prices rally. Germany considers a $540 billion emergency business support fund. Slack workers try out a virtual pub quiz.

The public health crisis is prompting an unplanned group flex.

On today’s episode, we’re spending some time checking in on loved ones and on you. How are you doing?

The economy is changing at a rapid rate. We’ll help you make sense of it all — in a 10-minute daily podcast.

Author Max brooks has drawn inspiration for his books about the zombie apocalypse from public health crises.

From empty shelves, to “help wanted” signs, listeners chime in about what they’re seeing at the store.

Adena Friedman explains why markets should stay open, despite all the volatility.

The NYSE is going to electronic trading temporarily to stem the spread of COVID-19.

Plus, the state of mental health benefits, economic impacts of the 1918 Spanish flu and a conversation with “World War Z” author Max Brooks.

But not everyone may qualify.

One expert says video counseling, apps and other tools could be effective in times of crisis.

There were 281,000 more people who signed up for unemployment benefits last week. The big three Detroit automakers say they’re shutting down factories until at least March 30. The cities and states putting temporary holds on evictions.

With people encouraged to stay home in London, business owners are finding enterprising ways of making money and boosting spirits.

Many companies are laying off workers. Weekly jobless claims will tell us how many people are now filing for state unemployment benefits.

The Fed offers emergency loans to what are considered low-risk money market mutual funds, and why that’s important. An early measure of layoffs during COVID-19. Price discrimination in the age of coronavirus.

The European Central Bank will buy government and company debt across the eurozone, including that of Greece and Italy. The British pound is at a 30-year low against the U.S. dollar. A bar turns to at-home wine tasting.

Coronavirus household shortages, explained.

Stripe, Airbnb and others rode the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Just saying.

The disruption of education over the past few weeks affects every member of Derrick Lindstrom’s family.

Today, we’re looking at the layoffs, the workers adjusting to being home all day and the folks who still have to go out and risk spreading the virus, sometimes for minimum wage.

As unemployment climbs, it gets harder for the economy to come back.

If policymakers are too preoccupied with debt to provide the country the stimulus it needs, some economists say: Do it without debt.

The Permian Basin region, anchored by the towns of Midland and Odessa, has survived past shakeouts, but some think this could resemble the crash of the 1980s.

Kids, spouses and roommates are adding stress to unconventional work arrangements.

Firefighters, health workers, paramedics, sanitation workers and others still need to go out to do their jobs.

The move allows the federal government to order companies to make critical medical supplies like ventilators and masks.

Whether they’re heading home or finding a way to remain on campus, international students have had their semesters upended by COVID-19.

Homeless shelters in Portland, Oregon, are being asked to make sure people who are coughing sleep in beds six feet away from those who aren’t.

One industry group says Britain’s hospitality businesses have taken in 60% less money than usual and customer visits have plunged 40%.

Crude oil at its lowest point in 17 years. A penalty-free, interest-free delay on paying taxes you owe to the federal government. Partial, rotating factory shutdowns for U.S. automakers. How homeless shelters are handling social distancing.

Lawmakers are calling for a moratorium on evictions across the country, as more and more schools, events, restaurants and bars shut down.

A 90-day extension to pay taxes owed to the federal government will help people come up with a game plan.

Government leaders contemplate the idea as part of a multi-billion dollar plan to stimulate the economy.

The White House’s plan to send money directly to Americans to soften the economic blow from COVID-19: How would it work? Businesses in London finding it harder to “keep calm and carry on.”

As more people use their home offices, broadband networks face greater demand. Investors are still wary, even after lots of government stimulus. Keeping calm and carrying on is getting harder for British restaurants.

Coronavirus means our digital government infrastructure is critical, but it’s still vulnerable to hackers.

“Americans need cash now,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says at a press conference.

The millions of kids learning at home are exposing the inequalities in public education, internet access and more.

With coronavirus keeping people at home, restaurants are shutting their doors and shifting their business models to adapt to the crisis.

Recessions vary in length and severity, but the differences come down to how reversible the damage is.

The South Korean company went from selling groceries in the 1930s to a market leader in technology across the globe.

Plus: remote education in the digital divide, Americans stocking up, and why stocks are up. 

Its other films currently showing may stream this week. Will people staying away from theaters pay the nearly $20 fee?

People are walking a fine line between underdoing it and overdoing it.

Remember, you’re still a long-term investor, you won’t need all of your money immediately.

Whether you want to learn more about the coronavirus and the economy, or *anything but* that, here’s what to stream when you’re self-isolating.

Will what happened to automakers 10 years ago now happen to airlines? A new economic stimulus package under discussion. The logistics challenges that grocery stores are trying to fix. What COVID-19 has done to investment portfolios, and how to proceed.

Some companies are hiring people to go to work, so that others can avoid going out as much as possible.

The grocery industry has up to four months’ supply of staples like beans, rice and canned goods.

Taking a critical look at your investments during this continued market turmoil. Amazon announces it will hire an additional 100,000 workers. Why hackers like all this working from home.

Why you shouldn’t panic (and why that’s easier said than done)

Volkswagen is temporarily shutting down some of its European production. Stock markets in Europe erased early gains. Ireland’s pubs are closed on St Patrick’s Day.

What if you need your money in two years, 10 years or 25 years? It makes a huge difference about how to think about this coronavirus quarter.

There’s plenty of bandwidth to go around. Now access is shifting.

Neil Cairns, a bartender in Portland, Oregon says he’ll just have to “hope for the best” as he faces reduced hours and the prospect of bar closures.

As more people work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, the bad guys are out. Even if your laptop is secure, your home network might not be.

Plus, supply chains along the border, China’s 270 million students learning at home and markets, which had their biggest single-day drop of the crisis.

The Fed’s cut to its short-term, emergency loan rate is meant to keep credit flowing to households and businesses.

Sales have dropped by as much as 85%.

Declines in Chinese retail sales and industrial production show us where the U.S. is headed. Companies respond to the FCC’s request for phone and internet providers to get flexible. Sharply falling consumer confidence. How border closures would be catastrophic for supply chain companies.

Mexico’s deputy health minister says he’s worried about people coming into Mexico from the United States.

Online classes are difficult for working Chinese parents with young children.

Municipalities may find their tax revenues declining.

Markets are falling again this morning, even with a big move to boost the U.S. economy in the face of COVID-19. What do municipalities’ rainy day funds look like right now? Severe drops in public transit ridership.

Global markets fall despite the Fed cutting interest rates to near zero. Airlines slash capacity and ask for government support. French perfume brands start producing hand sanitizer.

The San Francisco Bay Area’s transit system says it’s losing $500,000 a day in lost fares.

Artificial intelligence can see “signals” in data earlier than humans, says the co-founder of a biotech investment fund.