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Jobless Americans struggle to get and keep benefits

Nov 4, 2020
More than seven months into the pandemic, more people are filing for unemployment benefits every week than at any point in the Great Recession.
Protesters call on Florida to fix its unemployment system.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Fed wants to lend money to more small businesses, but many aren't interested

Nov 2, 2020
The central bank dropped the minimum loan amount under its Main Street Lending Program to $100,000. But not many businesses feel confident taking out loans they'll have to repay in five years.
A bartender prepares to open his bar in Ocean City, Maryland, amid the pandemic, May 29, 2020.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

New jobless claims are down, but unemployment benefits are, too

Oct 22, 2020
Expiring federal and state relief benefits are taking billions of dollars a week out of the economy.
Tens of millions of Americans are still out of work, and their unemployment benefits are running out.
Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images

Fear of job loss takes an emotional toll

Oct 20, 2020
More than half of Americans are afraid of losing their jobs over the next 12 months, according to our latest Marketplace-Edison Research Poll.
The closed Castro Theatre in San Francisco on March 15. More than half of Americans fear losing their jobs over the next 12 months, according to the latest Marketplace-Edison Research Poll.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

How long can consumers keep spending?

Oct 16, 2020
Retail sales jumped nearly 2% in September, but it's hard to exactly say why.
One economist says without more federal stimulus, we're risking a double-dip recession.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images

Younger workers aren't as fazed by losing a job

Oct 16, 2020
The Marketplace-Edison Research Poll shows they're more confident they'll find new jobs within six months than older workers.
A bartender makes drinks at Eight Row Flint in Houston, Texas. Many young people work in the leisure and hospitality industry, which is bouncing back from the coronavirus recession.
Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

More optimistic about the recovery, big banks trim the reserves they set aside to cover bad loans

Oct 14, 2020
But if we're in for a double-dip recession, they'll need to set aside billions more than they currently have on hand.
Big banks, like JPMorgan Chase, are feeling more confident about the economic recovery after solid third quarter earnings.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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Airlines are burning a lot of cash — so what does that mean?

Oct 12, 2020
Expenses don’t go away just because people aren’t flying.
An employee disinfects an airplane at Ronald Reagan National Airport in Virginia in July. Airlines are burning cash because there are still expenses, regardless if people are flying.
Michael A. McCoy/Getty Images

The unemployment rate in some neighborhoods is triple the national average

Oct 12, 2020
In parts of the South Bronx, the unemployment rate was estimated to be nearly 30% in August. Nationwide, it's a little less than 8%.
Felix Pinzon, an unemployed construction worker, pushes a cart of food donations in May in the Bronx.
Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

How a new shop owner is navigating the pandemic

Oct 9, 2020
After opening her children's clothing store in May, this first-time entrepreneur is seeing a profit. Now if she can just figure out why her customers shop when they do.
Maris Johansson, above, has hired her first employee for her shop, Broomtail, in Denver.
Credit: Joslyn Griffin