The pulling forward of Amazon Prime days to mid-October may have something to do with the changing expectations around spending, inventories and advertising ahead of the holiday season. … READ MORE >
Coronavirus
Holiday sales to limp forward as pandemic weighs on economy
Holiday spending is likely to advance at a tepid 0.5% pace as households still reeling from the pandemic pull back on traditional and experiential holiday outlays. … READ MORE >
Agriculture sector gets a reprieve with rising foodstuff prices
Foodstuff commodity prices have recovered lost ground, returning to January levels after five straight months of declines from March to July. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Rising optimism among small businesses
The small business optimism index rose 3.8 points to 104 in September, the highest reading since February, according to a report by the National Federation of Independent Business. … READ MORE >
Jobless claims continue to rise to highest level since August
The four-week moving average of first-time claims for unemployment insurance stands at 866,250, which is well above the monthly hiring pace of 661,000 that was posted in September and will likely be well above the top-line hiring number in October. … READ MORE >
Coronavirus update: Regarding immunity and the severity of infection
A central riddle of the novel coronavirus is immunity: Can people become immune to infection? And does herd immunity work? … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Glory days for used car salesmen
A confluence of trends linked to the pandemic – including the fleeing of millennials to the suburbs and a rising preference for private transportation – has driven the price of used automobiles up by the quickest monthly gain since 1969, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Plunging private equity deal flow in Canada
The economic distress from the coronavirus pandemic is hitting the Canadian private equity market hard. The number of deals reached in Canada this year through Oct. 6 fell to 194, which at that pace would represent a 60% decline from 2019. … READ MORE >
Manufacturing is recovering, but employment isn’t keeping pace
Industrial manufacturing activity is recovering from the economic turmoil induced by the pandemic, according to recent survey data from the Institute for Supply Management, but manufacturing employment has not rebounded at the same pace. … READ MORE >
SBA announces simplified PPP loan forgiveness
Some businesses that accepted financing under the Paycheck Protection Program now have a streamlined path to receiving the promised forgiveness of those loans, under new guidelines released late Thursday. … READ MORE >