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MOST RECENT ARTICLES BY:

Josh Barro

  1. the top line
    Retail Sales Data Shows the CARES Act Is WorkingRetail sales increased 17.7 percent in May, proving that the stimulus supported most American households such that people do not feel afraid to spend.
  2. the top line
    Air Travel Is Coming Back‚ But a Full Recovery Is Far OffExpect a smaller airline sector for years to come.
  3. the top line
    The Strange Case of Hertz’s BankruptcyWhat the mysteriously high stock price of the distressed rental-car company might tell us about market dynamics right now.
  4. the top line
    The Recession Started in February — And Is Probably Already OverWe are not out of the woods. But we are on the upswing.
  5. the top line
    Walt Disney World Is Preparing to Reopen. It’s Gonna Be Weird.The company is aiming for mid-July. But the experience won’t be what you are used to.
  6. the top line
    Why Americans Unexpectedly Saved a Lot of Money in AprilMillions lost their jobs, but those declines were more than offset by an enormous increase in government social benefits.
  7. buyer’s market
    How Hertz’s Bankruptcy Will Affect the Car IndustryExpect hundreds of thousands of Hertz cars to show up at used-car dealerships soon.
  8. coronavirus
    Why Facebook’s Plan to Tie Remote Pay to Location Will Probably FailMark Zuckerberg plans to let more employees permanently work from home, but he wants to pay those who live in inexpensive places less.
  9. the top line
    Walmart Had a Great First Quarter — and Has Good News About the Whole Economy“Call it relief spending,” said the company’s CEO, “as it was heavily influenced by stimulus dollars.”
  10. buyer’s market
    Here’s How to Square a Rising Stock Market With the Dire EconomyIt depends a lot on what story you are telling.
  11. the top line
    Why Do Food Delivery Companies Lose Money?One common theory is that they are planning to raise their prices someday. I think something else is going on.
  12. buyer’s market
    Who’s Booking Hotel Rooms Right Now? Vacation Optimists.People are hoping that the worst will be over in a few months. And if it’s not, they have an out.
  13. the top line
    There’s Deflation, But You’re Probably Not Enjoying Lower PricesThe government’s preferred measure of prices is way down. That’s not the story for most consumers during lockdown though.
  14. the top line
    Why There Are Still So Many Empty Shelves at the Grocery StoreSome key dynamics have changed since March, but there are still acute shortages — particularly in the meat aisle.
  15. the top line
    Here’s Where the Jobs Crisis Is Hitting HardestAmerica’s current economy misery isn’t spread evenly.
  16. buyer’s market
    Disney Is a Fascinating Case Study for the Coronavirus’s Economic EffectsAcross the company’s many businesses, the impact from the pandemic ranges from dire to positive.
  17. the top line
    Warren Buffett Should Have Listened to Warren Buffett About AirlinesHe was a longtime skeptic of the industry. Then he changed his mind. Now he’s changed his mind again.
  18. the top line
    Federal Government to Airlines: Keep Flying Those Empty PlanesAs part of the industry bailout, airlines are supposed to continue service to every U.S. city in their networks.
  19. buyer’s market
    Drinking More Wine During the Lockdown? You’re Not AloneAlcohol sales are up in the crisis — but not all makers are benefiting.
  20. the top line
    Why Airlines Have Been Slow to Require Passengers to Wear MasksRemember when they were slow to ban smoking?
  21. the economy
    The Fed Helped Carnival Get a Loan — But the Interest Rate Is HighYes, the Federal Reserve stepped in to help some companies. But the loan to Carnival shows that the markets are still working.
  22. the top line
    Why Mitch McConnell’s State Bankruptcy Idea Is So StupidThe negative economic and social effects of leaving states scrambling to pay their debts would be dire for everyone.
  23. buyer’s market
    Only You Can Reopen the EconomyEven a state that loosens the lockdown will remain mostly frozen if consumers are reluctant to participate in the economy.
  24. the economy
    How Oil Prices Can Go NegativeAnd when you’ll be able to see savings at your local gas station.
  25. the top line
    The Patchwork Approach of the CARES Act Is a Strong Coronavirus Stimulus PlanWhile the PPP is dry, the act’s boosted unemployment benefits provide another route to get federal cash to a worker at a distressed business.
  26. intelligencer chats
    Why Hasn’t the Stock Market Crashed Even More?Wall Street is well off its pre-pandemic highs, but it is also showing a guarded optimism about the recovery.
  27. buyer’s market
    Luxury Hotels Are Nearly Empty. Budget Hotels Still Have Customers.“It’s mostly local,” says one general manager. “Maybe someone in the family wants to quarantine or stay away from family.”
  28. the economy
    The Companies That Stand to Profit From the PandemicNot everyone suffers when the GDP and Dow collapse.
  29. the top line
    Why the Fed Was the Part of Government Most Ready for This CrisisLessons the institution learned from 2008 have served it well amid the coronavirus pandemic.
  30. the top line
    Another Bloodbath Week for UnemploymentThe only sliver of good news is that expanded unemployment benefits will help keep more people financially afloat for a while.
  31. the top line
    Here’s Why So Many Planes Are Still Flying, Nearly EmptySchedule reductions haven’t lined up with the drop in demand amid COVID-19, as obstacles like logistics, DOT obligations, and algae get in the way.
  32. the top line
    Cruise Lines Are Already Getting the Support They Deserve in This CrisisBailout or no, the CARES Act’s support for consumers and tangential businesses, as well as lower interest rates, are helping to prop up the industry.
  33. the top line
    Job Cuts Will Hit Industries You Don’t ExpectJob loss across the economy, even in sectors where you may not have known to look for it, will lead to less spending power and its ripple effects.
  34. the top line
    The Unemployment Situation Will Get Worse Before It Gets BetterFriday’s jobs report doesn’t look too bad at first glance, showing March unemployment at 4.4 percent. But that number is stale and irrelevant.
  35. coronavirus news
    Oil Prices Are Cratering. This Is a Bad Time for That to Happen.A barrel now sells for around $20 — the lowest in two decades.
  36. the top line
    The $2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package Should Work — for NowThe unemployment expansion and loans to businesses will help keep Americans afloat, but state governments are going to need more money down the line.
  37. the top line
    Today’s 3.3 Million Job Losses Is Just the StartWhile the initial unemployment claims figure released on Thursday is shockingly high, it also is probably low.
  38. the top line
    GOP Senators’ Objection to Expanded Unemployment Benefits Makes Little SenseWork incentives are just such an odd place to focus one’s attention right now. Currently, we need less work in America.
  39. the top line
    Here’s What the Fed Is Doing, Isn’t Doing, and Can’t Do to Address CoronavirusThe Fed is good at many things. But its natural limitations highlight how important it is for Congress to act, and to do so soon.
  40. the top line
    A Sufficiently Large Fiscal Package Is an Essential Virus-Fighting ToolA big spending package is needed to protect families, but it’s also necessary if we hope to retain public cooperation with costly anti-virus measures.
  41. the top line
    How a Riskier World Has Me Rethinking My InvestmentsMy strategy had long been to buy and hold for the long term. That changed – in part, anyway – earlier this month.
  42. intelligencer chats
    Will Markets Ever Adjust to the Coronavirus Era?Incredible volatility has defined the last few weeks. More certainty about the disease’s course will provide much-needed clarity.
  43. the top line
    Part of the Coronavirus Conventional Wisdom Has Become Too PessimisticThe country is shutting now. But more testing should, in time, allow for more normal living.
  44. the top line
    Nobody Knows How Hard COVID-19 Will Hit the Economy — or Even Their Own CompanyWe are flying completely blind here.
  45. the top line
    The Federal Reserve Cut Rates to Zero, But Markets Aren’t That ImpressedThere are problems Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve can solve – and problems they cannot solve.
  46. coronavirus
    This Will Get WorseThe grim math of a coronavirus future.
  47. buyer’s market
    U.S. Airlines Are Alarmed About a Coronavirus Slump — Some More Than OthersIt’s going to be a rough year for them, even in the more optimistic scenarios regarding the U.S. outbreak.
  48. intelligencer chats
    Is There Any End in Sight to Coronavirus’s Economic Carnage?A major recession isn’t inevitable, but continuing worldwide disruption is.
  49. coronavirus
    Coronavirus Is Imploding Global Financial MarketsAll kinds of indicators are flashing red, indicating that the disease will wreak major damage to the economy.
  50. the top line
    Here’s Why It Matters That Interest Rates Are CrateringDropping yields on safe, long-term bonds signal that the coronavirus may have a serious, negative, and persistent effect on the economy.
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