Week of March 30th, 2020

An economic one, that is. TGIF.

About $349 billion, in the form of loans, has been set aside for small businesses.

Plus, small businesses trying to apply for emergency loans and the impact of COVID-19 on both funeral homes and advertising.

Homeowners with federally backed mortgages can pause their monthly bill for up to a year. But they may get hit with a balloon payment at the end.

A historic plunge in demand during the global pandemic has pushed U.S. average gasoline prices to $1.91 a gallon.

It starts with replacing old ads that seem cringeworthy under quarantine.

The things that can make funerals cathartic aren’t possible right now.

“The coworking model hasn’t been around to witness an economic shock,” one analyst said.

After almost 9 1/2 years of American payrolls growing month over month, there was a sickening drop in March. And the latest numbers don’t even capture the worst of it. Plus, the history of the U.S. census.

We’re already seeing the biggest one-month rise in unemployment since 1975.

Today’s jobs report breaks a more than 9-year streak of job gains.

The government is making $50 billion available in loans and grants.

Some big banks say they’re not ready for the crisis small business loan program set up by the $2 trillion stimulus. Jobs report numbers are out today. How do-it-yourself masks are being used. 

The federal government’s guidelines for banks only went out Thursday night — hours before the program was supposed to start.

India will receive $1 billion to buy medical equipment, almost half of The World Bank’s emergency fund. COVID-19 around the globe. Clubbing goes online as DJs stream sets from home.

The 2020 census was planning to deploy up to 500,000 census takers to follow up with households that didn’t respond online or by mail.

It’s more than just stuff. It’s web services, too.

Some hospitals are accepting homemade face masks, but they may have limited uses.

There are a lot of couples stuck at home right now. Some of them are out of work or dealing with canceled plans. Today, we’ll hear from two couples whose relationships are being tested.

… So big that it’s starting to feel hard to grasp the damage this pandemic is doing.

U.S. citizens with an undocumented spouse or child would also be denied a check.

Publishing can’t easily go on hold until the fall — which is when publishers tend to release the year’s biggest titles.

“I just take one day at a time,” said Gaile Harrell, a part-time convenience store employee in Ashburn, Virgina.

Plus: the huge number of immigrants who will miss out on checks from the government, and the logistical challenge of giving small businesses emergency loans.

The median U.S. household has just a couple of weeks worth of savings to tap into in a crisis.

Cuts to pay can save jobs, but they can hurt morale, too.

As more states issue restrictions on restaurants, here’s how to support local businesses while keeping you, your family and the restaurant workers safe and healthy during COVID-19.

Around 100,000 people in the world’s commercial shipping crews are finding it hard to change shifts as COVID-19 shuts down ports of entry.

“For those businesses that are getting so much help from the government, part of that should be used to help the debtors,” said Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz.

First-time unemployment claims doubled week-over-week, to 6.6 million. There are 100,00 crew members stuck on ships at sea during this pandemic. Some economists push for longer grace periods on debt repayment.

About 10 million Americans have filed for unemployment over the past two weeks.

Does the COVID-19 economy need a widespread easing of debts? The official jobs report this week will not capture the entirety of the mess our economy is in.

A 2009 conversation with Philip Levine about “What Work Is.”

Crews cannot disembark at some ports due to COVID-19 restrictions. Shipping industry leaders are concerned about workers’ welfare. The company offering free sneakers to health care workers.

One economist believes hope of avoiding a COVID-19 economic depression lies in full forgiveness of personal debts.

There are security questions, and yeah, some Zoom bombing.

The BLS monthly jobs report is based on surveys conducted in mid-March, before the recent wave of layoffs and furloughs.

Answering more of your questions about this pandemic, the economy and more.

Plus: What it’s like to run a barge company right now, why employers are backing off 401(k)s and how the housing market is adapting to low interest rates and no in-person showings.

How a Mississippi barge business is navigating the coronavirus outbreak.

Competition among states for ventilators has driven prices sky high.

During the Great Recession, about 20% of companies scaled back matching funds.

Uncertainty means companies can’t put a proper valuation on the companies they want to buy. And banks are tightening financing, too.

Most people in China are just getting paid wages for February and by law, employees are supposed to receive their regular salaries even when their companies were shut because of the coronavirus. Did they?

More realtors are taking up drone photography and virtual tours.

Check your lease, call your landlord, and get ready to apply to the new federal Paycheck Protection Program.

A White House official said Tuesday that the administration decided against it.

ADP employment shows payrolls down by just 27,000 people in the last month. A fresh reading on U.S. factory activity. No reopening for Affordable Care Act enrollment. Crude oil prices down big. Car sales in the midst of COVID-19.

Washington Post columnist Allan Sloan says Boeing hasn’t just parceled out profit to shareholders. The company “sent it out with a fire hose.”

The city is quickly becoming a case study for how a frayed social safety net responds in a global pandemic.

In addition to a drop in demand, automakers have been forced to close factories.

Economists say it could take three to six months of data to understand the pain in the factory economy.

Monthly bills are due, but federal COVID-19 money isn’t expected for nearly three weeks. Two big British banks have halted profit payments to shareholders. What the $2 trillion stimulus law means for Boeing.

Business leaders say the Swedish government’s approach is more sensible than many other countries. Some British banks are suspending dividends. A Scottish distillery has switched to making hand sanitizer.

For many Americans, the first of the month has loomed in a way it hasn’t before.

Maps and models could help contain the spread of this pandemic.

Just don’t expect it to line up with April rent.

What consumers pay for insurance and care next year has a lot to do with how the COVID-19 crisis plays out.

We know what the data looks like. But what if we could hear it?

Plus, Britain’s ventilator shortage, insurance hikes and the science of setting the markets to music.

At Bookshop.org, a platform for independent bookstores, sales are way up.

We are facing a very different kind of financial turmoil today, but there are some lessons in looking back.

Swooning demand means there’s a lot of oil being produced but not consumed. That’s making storage prices soar.

A wide variety of manufacturers have joined the race to end the shortage of ventilators in the U.K.

Emergency COVID-19 money should materialize in bank accounts within three weeks. What business activity in China is looking like. Unemployment forecasts. International students deal with campus shutdowns.

As schools closed, some students wondered: Where should I go next?

If you got a tax refund or paid the IRS by paper check last year, you’ll need to get your bank details in to the agency.

Analysts expect other department stores will follow suit this week.

Given the virus, Macy’s is now furloughing most of its 125,000 employees. Amazon has fired the employee who organized a walk-out on Monday. Food pantries struggle with staffing and logistics.

While new data suggests China’s economy is rebounding, the rest of Asia faces “economic pain.” India mulls direct cash transfers to help migrant workers. Worries over COVID-19 are boosting local fish sales in Kenya.

As many Americans stock up on weeks of provisions, food pantries, food banks and soup kitchens are figuring out how to get hungry Americans the food they need.

The United States will be needing more capacity, soon. It can be done. Chris Giattina of Blox explains modular medical construction.

Specifically, when you’re talking about the jobs report. It’s a lagging indicator, and there’s a doozy coming Friday.

Plus: how deep this recession will get, how Americans are confronting the bills due this week and a conversation with rapper, singer and writer Dessa.

“What are we supposed to do when we’ve got to stay apart?” said musician and writer Dessa.

Just because the COVID-19 recession came on incredibly quickly does not mean it will be a quick recovery.

China goes back to work, not to normality.

Shopping is vital for the economy. That doesn’t mean folks feel great about discretionary purchases right now.

With more people stuck inside during the COVID-19 pandemic, some are flocking to console and computer games.

Individual governments have defended decisions to keep medical equipment at home, arguing they must take care of their medical workers and patients first.

Millions of people’s incomes have been reduced or disappeared completely because of COVID-19, and rent day is just around the corner.

With many daycares facing extended closures because of COVID-19, parents and child care providers alike are grappling with that question.

Hundreds of parks have closed to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus. But many remain open, and some are even waiving entrance fees.

Oil prices hit an 18-year low. Workers at an Amazon warehouse in Staten Island are planning a strike for Monday. How this “cancellation economy” is affecting places like the Coachella Valley in California.

Amazon, Instacart and Whole Foods face backlash from workers concerned about safe working conditions.

The COVID-19 relief bill signed into law last week sets aside more than $350 billion for loans to small businesses. How are convenience stores faring? Egg and orange juice prices soar.

COVID-19 has put the region’s $7 billion events industry at risk.

The U.S. has 150,000 convenience stores — and most are connected to gas pumps.

Staying home is making Americans cook breakfast at home. Demand for eggs and other breakfast staples is pushing prices up for retailers.

With hospital parking lots busier due to COVID-19, what can health workers do? Global governments add more stimulus. Developing countries need increased health spending to tackle the pandemic.

Many labs, including those at universities, are furiously working on a reliable, scalable test.