The demand for new homes continues to be high as Americans take advantage of low interest rates and flee cities in search of more room. Sales of new homes in January increased by 4.3% month over month, exceeding expectations and climbing to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 923,000, the Commerce Department reported on Wednesday. At the same time, ... READ MORE >
Coronavirus
Please visit RSM’s Coronavirus Resource Center for business insights on how to mitigate risks related to the outbreak and tips to plan accordingly.
Pandemic highlights the need for better use of data among health care providers
The coronavirus pandemic has presented a host of challenges for health care providers as they have dealt with a significant downturn in their business. But now, as a vaccine is rolled out and providers prepare for the new normal of life after the pandemic, there are opportunities as well. One way to capitalize on these opportunities is through better ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Leading indicator points toward economic reflation
The Conference Board’s leading economic indicator continues to point toward a reflation of the economy from the shock of the pandemic. The board's Leading Economic Index, released on Monday, showed a monthly gain of 0.5% in January to 110.3, continuing a string of increases. We expect a 6.1% rate of growth in the American economy this year. But even with ... READ MORE >
5 things to know in life sciences: Week of Feb. 15
In this week’s roundup we look at promising results in a clinical trial leveraging an existing diabetes drug for the treatment of obesity, a new and less invasive treatment for sleep apnea, and a new technology in cardiac catheters. We also examine the impact of the pandemic on oncology trials and the challenges of developing new treatments for Alzheimer’s ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: State disparity in mental health preparedness
We may be dealing with the mental health after-effects of the pandemic long after we’ve reached herd immunity. According to the United States Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, the average share of adults reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression increased to 41.1% in January. That is a nearly fourfold increase from the 11% observed over the ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: The 10-year Treasury yield goes its own way
The yield on 10-year Treasury bonds rose above 1.3% four times on Wednesday before closing just below 1.28%. The securities continued to trade in that range on Thursday. This comes despite the Federal Reserve’s efforts to suppress the cost of borrowing. Fixed-income investors are clearly pricing in a general reflation of the economy this year that will ... READ MORE >
Hanging on: Five ways that hotels can survive the pandemic economy
(This is the last of three articles examining how the pandemic is affecting the hospitality industry. Read the first and second.) Even the most basic financial strategist knows that there are two ways to improve a company’s bottom line — cut costs or drive revenues. In a time of Depression-like shockwaves rippling through the general economy, as happened ... READ MORE >
5 things to know in life sciences: Week of Feb. 8
In this week’s roundup, we look at the impact of new COVID-19 variants on existing vaccines for the disease; South Africa made the difficult decision to stop using its most readily available vaccine after it showed limited effectiveness against the variant most common there. This is an important reminder that getting the first vaccines approved was a ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Apparel companies’ new discipline on pricing
Consumer prices for apparel continued to rise in January, demonstrating that apparel companies are focused on profitability amid a volatile environment for supply and demand. The prices that consumers paid for apparel rose 2.2% in January compared to the core index, which remained relatively flat with a monthly gain of 0.3%, according to data released by ... READ MORE >
Second wave of the pandemic devastates the Canadian labor market
The surge in coronavirus infections in Canada this winter has taken a heavy toll on the economy, which has only added to the urgency for a vaccine to be widely distributed. Another 213,000 jobs were lost in January, an acceleration over December’s decline, according to data recently released by Statistics Canada. That drop brought the two-month total to ... READ MORE >