This is the first installment of a new weekly roundup in which we highlight five things you need to know about in the life sciences industry. Here’s the latest, including COVID-19 vaccine news, a deal between Palantir and the FDA, and more. … READ MORE >
coronavirus
A K-shaped wage environment: Abnormalities in wage and benefit growth during the pandemic
The economic distortions of the pandemic are becoming increasingly evident in the divergent fortunes of the nation’s workers. Hourly wages are rising at a solid rate among nonsupervisory workers, but that’s primarily because of the reduction in force of low-wage workers. … READ MORE >
Looking forward: Canada’s economy in 2021
Canadian output is likely to expand by roughly 4 per cent in 2021 and 2022. While this is solid, the Canadian economy is not likely to reach its full capacity to produce until 2023. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Booming mortgage originations
After a slow first quarter, mortgage originations in the United States are surging as homeowners capitalize on historically low interest rates, with the totals approaching levels not seen since 2003. … READ MORE >
Coronavirus update: More records to be broken as human toll mounts
A record 237,000 new cases were reported on Dec. 4 and a record 2,921 people died from the COVID-19 disease on Dec. 3, according to the Worldometers database. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Vaccine doses for the global population
With the U.S. Food and Drug Administration set to review Pfizer and BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine this week for emergency use authorization and Moderna’s vaccine next week, we have passed the “if” phase of questions around a COVID-19 vaccine and are now in the midst of determining the “when and how” of vaccine distribution. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Estimating unemployment during the pandemic
Friday’s headline U3 unemployment rate of 6.7% is probably an undercount of the number of out-of-work people, not by design, but by the peculiar circumstances of the pandemic. … READ MORE >
U.S. November employment report: Winter is coming
The recall of workers and job creation continued to slow in November to 245,000, while the unemployment rate declined to 6.7%, just ahead of what is likely to be a pandemic-induced drag on domestic labor market conditions over the next few months. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: ISM service sector index growth continues
The November ISM Non-Manufacturing Index eased to 55.9, which is below the six-month average of 57.1, indicating solid growth in the service sector even as the pandemic rages. … READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Airport traffic surges over Thanksgiving
Amid spiking coronavirus cases, airports had a surge in travelers over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. The Transportation Security Administration reported that more than 1 million passengers were processed through its checkpoints on the busy travel days of Wednesday and Sunday. … READ MORE >