The tectonic shifts in the American labor market continued during the week ending March 28 as first-time jobless claims increased by 6.64 million. … READ MORE >
Covid-19
How to become a qualified lender under the Paycheck Protection Program
The Paycheck Protection Program, an ambitious $349 billion loan program designed to quickly give relief to small businesses, represents an unusual opportunity for lenders to expand their client base with loans that are fully guaranteed by the federal government. … READ MORE >
What middle market companies can learn from Nike about managing disruption
Last week, Nike surprised investors in its earnings report when it revealed that sales in China had declined by only 5% for the quarter ending February 28. While China is a key growth market for the apparel and footwear giant, the decrease demonstrated how well Nike had navigated a nationwide … … READ MORE >
Initial jobless claims preview: Expect another big increase
We expect that for the week ending March 28, 2020, initial jobless claims will show an increase of 3.1 million when the figures are announced on Thursday. This would imply a two-week total of 6.4 million. … READ MORE >
The swift and significant monetary and fiscal policy responses to the coronavirus
March 2020 has been a month for the ages – one that fiscal and monetary policymakers will never forget. Congress put forward roughly $2.2 trillion, or equal to 11.4% of gross domestic product, in fiscal aid to address current and coming economic difficulties around the country. … READ MORE >
RSM Manufacturing Outlook Index gives another sign of recession
The RSM Manufacturing Outlook Index took a nosedive in March, to levels ordinarily reserved for recessions. The index reversed the gains of the first two months of the year and dropped two standard deviations below levels associated with normal manufacturing conditions. … READ MORE >
With the CARES Act, online lenders are poised to become mainstream
The $2 trillion CARES Act promises to help many American businesses, individuals and states overcome the severe impact from the corona pandemic. But one industry in particular is in a strong position to benefit: Fintech, and especially online lending businesses that have been gaining market share in recent years. … READ MORE >
How health care systems, dependent on outsourcing, can adjust to India’s stay-at-home order
Over the past several years, many health care providers and payers have outsourced business functions to India. But there was a risk that many could not have predicted: That a pandemic would force employees to work from home. … READ MORE >
RSM Chief Economist Joe Brusuelas unpacks unemployment amid pandemic
Joe Brusuelas, chief economist of RSM US, sees unemployment increasing to 5.75% in the April report and eventually rising to as high as 10.5% in midsummer. … READ MORE >
Pricing in the end of the current British business cycle
The RSM U.K. Financial Conditions Index — which measures the degree of financial accommodation built into British financial asset prices – plummeted from normal conditions just four weeks ago to 3.9 standard deviations below normal levels of implied market risk. … READ MORE >