This post was originally published on this site
MARKETWATCH FRONT PAGE
The onset of the coronavius pandemic triggered a record 8.7% slump sales at U.S. retailers in March as large swaths of the economy shut down — and there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. See full story.
Bill Gates has a big problem with Trump’s ‘dangerous’ decision to defund the World Health Organization
President Trump announced Tuesday at another contentious White House briefing that the U.S. would suspend funding to the World Health Organization, citing the group’s role in “severely mismanaging and covering up the spread of the coronavirus.” While his supporters backed the move, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates clearly didn’t. See full story.
Lockdowns do bring economic disaster. But don’t rush to the exit
As new economic data and forecasts reveal the amount of destruction that coronavirus will leave in its wake, the pressure mounts on governments to ease their strict lockdowns. But there is no model for exiting and hurrying could prove the worst possible economic choice. See full story.
Debt collectors are going after millions of stimulus checks — 5 ways to stop them
‘Millions of Americans have court judgments against them,’ says Lauren Saunders, an associate director at the National Consumer Law Center. See full story.
‘It’s a complete abomination’ says Wall Street money manager about hedge funds applying for bailouts from small-business recovery funds
The Bloomberg News article makes the case that hedge funds, which tend to charge 2% fees for managing other people’s money and take 20% of the profits from their bets, are enticed by the roughly $350 billion recovery package. See full story.
MARKETWATCH PERSONAL FINANCE
The lifelines being extended as a result of the pandemic are no different than the disaster relief provide after an earthquake or tornado. See full story.
