Amid everything that is going on in the United States right now — the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, double-digit unemployment, protests and activism around social justice — we are now less than three months out from the 2020 election. Here’s what we’re keeping an eye on in the weeks ahead.
As households and businesses orient themselves for life after COVID-19, here are some of the themes we’re expecting to see.
Excluding a contested election — which is certainly within the realm of possibility — here’s a brief look at four scenarios that could play out in November and potential implications for investors.
Discussed below are some observations, questions, and tentative answers, for a variety of economic issues and business sectors. The common flavor is evolution, seasoned with a considered opinion that the stress foisted upon us makes nothing better (a failed business model will not be saved by the pandemic) but does make for change.
Whether we end up calling it a “W-shaped recovery” or a “double-dip depression,” the U.S. will likely endure another severe downturn in the fall or winter as a second wave of Covid-19 infections batters fragile economies and health-care systems. There are two basic preventive measures we should start doing now.
Expect a bumpy path for U.S. markets in 2020 as the economy comes back online, followed by a potentially more solid recovery in 2021.
Mohamed A. El-Erian has a long memory for financial crises. As the former CEO and co-CIO of PIMCO, he helped lead the bond giant through the Great Recession, and was a voice of economic reason for investors. Before that, he worked for 15 years at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), where his main focus was on crisis countries and debt issues. I caught up with Dr. El-Erian to discuss how the current crisis and the response to it will shape the U.S. and global economy in five to ten years.
Political scientist Ian Bremmer says there are silver linings in the “depression” brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, he said, the world may have needed this crisis to happen.
Here are six remnants of COVID-19 that the author believes will influence us as we move forward and will be indelibly etched in our society forever.
Life after COVID-19 according to 30 experts.