2/3 Of Americans Say They Would Accept A COVID-19 Vaccine

After a brief lull, the daily COVID deaths and infections began to show an uptick in the United States. But according to a New York Times database, case numbers are surging throughout most of the states, mainly in Nebraska, Maryland, Puerto Rico, Illinois, U.S. Virgin Islands, Montana, South Dakota, Hawaii and Massachusetts. “Eleven out of thirteen states with the…

Dr. Fauci remains confident that a vaccine will be ready by early next year. Lena Dunham reveals she had COVID-19. More news Saturday.

U.S. economic output likely fell at record 35% annual rate in the second quarter. The rebound is threatened by COVID-19 spikes, state reclosings.

—For Liz Carey, the additional $600 unemployment payment every week during the COVID-19 pandemic at least has eased the financial stress of this unsettling time. “We relied on the coffee shop for all of our income and just to stay afloat,” Liz Carey told the Leader-Telegram,“ so we were really thankful when the extra $600 apiece starting coming through.

I get frustrated at times. I’ m a fee-based consultant brought in by attorneys, CPAs, trustees, financial advisors and family offices to review, create, fix and do whatever else is needed regarding life insurance products and concepts. I’ m approached to analyze policies and programs already in force for years or even decades, and sometimes it’ s new proposals that I’ m…

Both the Main Street and PPP loan programs originated in the massive $2 trillion CARES Act in March. Main Street loans range from $250,000 to $300 million for companies with 15,000 or fewer employees. With $600 billion available, the Main Street program trumps the original $349 billion that PPP dispensed in a matter of weeks.

Democrats strongly oppose a payroll tax cut, and some Republicans have been cool to it, but Trump said “a lot of Republicans like it. If the White House and Senate GOP priorities make it into the bill, the legislation would effectively cut taxes for people who have jobs while cutting benefits for the unemployed. McConnell is expected to introduce an approximately…

Biotech firm Moderna said its experimental vaccine for Covid-19 was safe and produced strong immune responses in all 45 patients in an ongoing early-stage human trial. Coming close on the heels of recent positive news about vaccines from a few other drugmakers and research firms, the announcement from Moderna has raised optimism that that the threat posed…

Instead of a quick economic recovery at the end of the year, JPMorgan Chase expects the recession to be “much more protracted,” said Jennifer Piepszak, the bank's chief financial officer. But last month, the Federal Reserve put new restrictions on how the country's biggest banks spend capital, with an eye toward protecting the financial system from risks to the…

Fees for underwriting blue-chip U.S. company bonds in the first half of the year essentially doubled to more than $7 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg, after the Fed set up an unprecedented series of programs to support corporate debt markets and slashed interest rates. U.S. companies have rushed to borrow, selling more than $1 trillion of…

The biggest splash this week came from Novavax, a Maryland company that landed $1.6 billion from the US government’ s Operation Warp Speed program to support manufacturing and clinical trials for its vaccine candidate. At least three key clinical studies are expected to begin later this month: Moderna’ s new trial of its experimental vaccine, which would be the…

I began my investment career as the first African American portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price in 1973, not because of some quota or the good graces of white executives, but because the meritocratic model made me visible and managers were supportive. I founded Brown Capital Management in Baltimore, which now employs predominantly African American…

As they have on most issues, President Trump and Fox Nation have managed to politicize and polarize the debate over how and when to begin returning to normal life, denouncing all restrictions on individual liberty as a threat to the American way of life. And as they have on most issues, liberal Democrats and their favorite media outlets have taken the bait,…

Sales were stronger than expected when Macy's reopened its first stores in early May, after a nearly seven-week coronavirus shutdown. And it changes day by day, ” Jeff Gennette, Macy's chief executive, told investors this week on an earnings call. Employers are rehiring workers faster than economists anticipated, at least as of mid-June, when the latest Labor…

At least 4 million private-sector workers have had their pay cut during the pandemic, according to data provided to The Washington Post by economists who worked on a labor market analysis for the University of Chicago's Becker Friedman Institute. More than 6 million workers have been forced to work part time during the pandemic even though they want…

Maneuver frustrates GOP officials, strategists in competitive campaigns. The Trump administration touched off another politically charged battle over the future of Obamacare with its latest maneuver to dismantle the law amid a pandemic- a move that Democrats immediately weaponized for competitive campaigns this fall and few Republicans defended.

A new study found that the COVID-19 pandemic could leave primary care practices with a $15 billion revenue loss this year, but the amount could double if telehealth payments decline.

Wan Chai, June 26– MetLife, Inc. has joined the United Nations Global Compact, the world's largest corporate sustainability initiative. Global Compact calls for companies to align their operations and strategies with 10 universal principles in the areas of human rights, labor, the environment, and anti-corruption. “Sustainability is central to MetLife' s…

Health insurers in California have paid an estimated $2.4 billion for coronavirus testing and COVID-19 treatment, and Bay Area counties have seen some of the highest costs in the state, according to a study published Thursday by researchers at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health.

The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday painted a bleak portrait of the global economy, saying the coronavirus pandemic has caused more widespread damage than expected and will be followed by a sluggish recovery. The U.S. economy, the world's largest, is expected to shrink this year by 8 percent. “Maybe we can say the world has bottomed out, for now, and we're in…

The major U.S. index futures are currently pointing to a higher opening on Monday, with stocks likely to move back to the upside following the pullback seen in the previous session. The upward momentum on Wall Street comes as traders continue to express optimism about an economic recovery despite rising coronavirus cases in the U.S. and other parts of the world.

But he was thrust into a firestorm with the revelation President Trump wants him to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. The man who had been in that post, Geoffrey Berman, had no intention of going quietly when Attorney General William P. Barr tried to fire him Friday night, setting up a high-stakes standoff within the Justice Department…

American retail sales surged in May after a dismal April, offering some encouraging news about the prospects of economic recovery and delivering a potential glimpse toward the near-term future in Massachusetts, where reviving public activity has lagged other parts of the nation. Massachusetts did not start allowing establishments shuttered in response…

Large companies have started pocketing billions of taxpayer dollars thanks to tax breaks tucked into the federal coronavirus stimulus. Why it matters: Corporations are getting sizable, multiyear cash benefits, while most Americans received one-time, $1,200 checks to offset the economic turmoil and mass unemployment arising from the pandemic. Details: Congress created several…

John Dillivan would normally be breaking in new employees at this time of year, preparing for western Michigan's summer tourist rush. Even as the White House celebrates tentative signs of a labor market rebound, the ripples from Howmet's decision show that the pandemic's imprint upon the U.S. economy is hardening into a scar. What began in China five months ago…

Forceful Federal Reserve policy this year helped revive the Dow Jones. But is the Fed playing it too cool now as interest rates rise?

A Washington Post review found that the states not disclosing probable cases and deaths include some of the largest: California, Florida, North Carolina and New York. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention works closely with a group of health officials called the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists to issue guidelines for tracking…

Despite record 2.5 million job gains in May, Fed is likely to keep its key rate near zero amid COVID-19, signal it will likely stay there through 2022

CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE: The world's richest man declined to comment, according to Amazon spokesman Chris Oster. But a few donations have been reported: $100 million to Feeding America, up to $25 million for All in WA, a statewide relief effort in Washington, and an undisclosed amount to All In Seattle, a local initiative to assist nonprofits. Bezos, who has been…

According to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday, just 15% of voters think matters in the USA are under control.

That doesn't mean the United States has any less deep of a hole to dig itself out of. And the Congressional Budget Office released projections this week showing that it doesn't expect the United States to recover fully from the crisis until 2030.. “It's a sign that things are not getting as worse as they were before,” said Nick Bunker, the economic research director…

Main Street is in trouble, and Wall Street doesn’ t care. Now, just as states are reopening, the worst spasms of urban violence since 1968 have hit at least 140 cities across the country, including Boston, where stores in Downtown Crossing and the Back Bay were looted Sunday night after a day of peaceful protests against police killings of Black Americans.

In the Minneapolis area, where protests have turned violent in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd, the median income for black households is less than half of white ones- $38,200 compared with $85,000. African American households have struggled more, economically, than the median household nationwide, even when unemployment was at single-digit…

–In listening to market chatter urging the Federal Reserve to do more, I’ m reminded of two simple insights I was exposed to years ago that have stayed with me. Early on in my career at Pimco, I remember Bill Gross, the firm’ s founder and legendary investor, reminding portfolio managers that“ there are times when the best thing to do is to do nothing.” It’ s important advice as…

The interest rates on loans, including bonds, are at an unbelievable low due to the global pandemic. This will affect your client’ s existing policies. Below, I break out general account products as one category and indexed universal life as the other.

Dow Jones futures surged, signaled strong gains for the coronavirus stock market rally. Apple, Tesla and AMD are near buy points.

Prudential Financial reported it launched FlexGuard, the company’s first indexed variable annuity product, designed to provide customers with downside protection and the opportunity to grow and accelerate the performance of their retirement assets into the future. According to a media release, the commission-based version launched with a fee-based…

President Trump's drive to swiftly reopen the economy came under fire Tuesday from Democratic senators who pointedly questioned the administration's strategy, forcing Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to insist the White House would not sacrifice workers' lives for economic gain. “We may need to do more, and Congress may, as well,” Powell told lawmakers…

The first coronavirus vaccine to be tested in people appears to be safe and able to stimulate an immune response against the infection, the manufacturer, Moderna, announced on Monday, offering a glint of hope to a world desperate for ways to stop the pandemic. Stocks were also lifted by statements from the Federal Reserve chair, Jerome H. Powell, that the central…

Before the pandemic, there was no shortage of experts warning of emergent fault lines between the United States and China. In an interview aired Thursday morning by the right-wing Fox Business Network, President Trump floated the idea that the United States “could cut off the whole relationship” with China in the aftermath of the pandemic, in reference to…

Plunging revenue at many businesses, whether they close or not, could ripple through the economy and block a quick return to prosperity. The one great reason for economic optimism during this pandemic is that once public health concerns are addressed, the economy could quickly return to something like pre-crisis levels. But even if that happens in the coming…