This post was originally published on this site
On Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said the U.S. unemployment rate for April had risen to 14.7%, its highest level since the Great Depression, with 20.5 million jobs lost during the month.
New unemployment claims continue to increase by millions each week, but even those numbers are underreported by millions, as Jeffry Bartash explains.
Coronavirus recovery tracker
Here’s a new tool showing various aspects of economic fallout and recovery from the COVID-19 outbreak in the U.S.
More on the re-opening:
• Rules ease in parts of California and Pennsylvania on Friday; Michigan factories can reopen Monday
• How to safely commute, go shopping, and get on a plane as states reopen for business
An update on IRS stimulus payments
Here’s what to do if you have received a coronavirus stimulus check from the IRS for a deceased loved one.
Sonny Sultani working at home in Chicago.
Sonny Sultani
A new business thrives despite the pandemic
Sonny Sultani started a digital marketing business in February, was diagnosed with COVID-19 in April, and has still been able to make his new company a success.
The case for gold
William Watts underlines an investing (or hedging) opportunity with a chart showing how gold GC00, -0.26% prices tend to rise when U.S. government borrowing balloons.
Dividend stocks
AstraZeneca has a dividend yield of 2.56%.
Bloomberg
With interest rates low even before the Federal Reserve’s extraordinary actions to bring them much lower this year, stocks with attractive dividend yields have been very important to income-seeking investors. But a severe recession means a good number of companies are being forced to cut dividends, which can lead to painful declines for their stocks.
Here are three dividend stocks of cash-flow-rich companies poised to thrive during this economic crisis.
More investing ideas:
• Everything you know about growth and value stocks is about to flip
• How Uber’s ‘WeWork moment’ turned this investor bullish on the stock
• Beyond Meat’s stock is wildly overpriced — even if business expands perfectly
• Here’s why those skimpy bond yields are actually higher than average
Why are used car prices so high?
With reports of sliding wholesale prices for used cars, you might expect to find a bargain. Here’s why the price declines haven’t been passed by dealers to consumers.
As Rome begins to reopen, residents renew their love for coffee bars.
People tell more of their pandemic experiences
Here are new stories in MarketWatch’s dispatches from a pandemic series:
• Disabled workers describe employers’ new flexibility when addressing their need to work at home.
• A resident of Rome shares observations of the city’s reopening.
• Spain begins a rocky reopening as people find it difficult to obey social-distancing rules.
• Olivia Downes, a student at Oxford, describes her quarantine experience while also undergoing chemotherapy.
Don’t forget Mother’s Day
For Sunday, here are tips for sending flowers from Nicole Lyn Pesce and gift ideas from Elisabeth Buchwald.
Want more from MarketWatch? Sign up for this and other newsletters, and get the latest news, personal finance and investing advice.
