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Want to understand the laws of supply and demand? Watch the dairy industry

Aug 6, 2020
Milk prices have been volatile with the trade war and now the coronavirus pandemic, and dairy farmers are stretched thin.
A Wisconsin dairy farmer moves her cows into a barn. Her industry has been whipsawed by milk prices.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Most fast-food franchises have bounced back in short order

Aug 5, 2020
Pizza chains and others that allow for social distancing have done especially well. Those that depend on breakfast haven't.
An employee directs drive-thru traffic at a crowded McDonald's in Scotland.
Jeff J. Mitchell/Getty Images

College students and businesses unsure what the fall semester will look like

Aug 4, 2020
A look at how businesses on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin will be affected.
Students walk on Havard University's campus in July.
Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

Post COVID-19, the Fed and the Feds will have to tread carefully

Aug 3, 2020
The nature of the economic crisis resulting from the pandemic means we know little about how to deal with its aftermath.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, left, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin greet each other after testifying before a House committee in June. For now, the Fed is more focused on keeping people employed than inflation.
Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images

As the COVID-19 lockdown took hold, savings rates spiked

Jul 31, 2020
Government relief has boosted some incomes, and shutdowns have made it harder to spend.
A shuttered movie theater in Los Angeles. As people are unable to spend money on outings like movies and restaurants, the savings rate has climbed.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

A vaccine isn’t going to be a magic cure for the COVID-19 pandemic

Jul 30, 2020
Even if a fully effective vaccine can be developed and deployed quickly, it won’t mean an immediate return to normal life or business.
President Trump wears a mask as he tours a lab where they are making components for a potential vaccine in Morrisville, North Carolina.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Home child care workers unionize in California

Jul 29, 2020
Workers hope to strengthen an industry that has become even more precarious.
iStock/Getty Images

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USDA pandemic food box program extended

Jul 28, 2020
The USDA program is designed to help people facing food insecurity.
Volunteers in Virginia organize food distribution to families in need.
Win McNamee/Getty Images

Millions of Americans face stigma of moving back in with their parents

Jul 28, 2020
As the economy struggles, the meaning of "growing up" seems to be shifting. But the trend of adults living with parents started before the pandemic.
As people are stuck in tiny apartments in locked-down cities, Mom and Dad's suburban house seems like a good option.
Golero via Getty Images

In China, livestream sales flourish in time of COVID-19

Jul 27, 2020
Struggling retailers hope livestreaming will provide a lifeline. Aspiring influencers don't always strike it rich.
Former livestreaming influencer Sam Tian says making it in the industry is largely a matter of luck.
Charles Zhang/Marketplace