
The smaller the trade deficit, the bigger the trouble we are in because of our lack of preparedness for COVID-19. Click to Enlarge.
The nation’s international trade deficit in goods and services decreased to $39.9 billion in February from $45.5 billion in January (revised of course), as imports decreased more than exports as the economy slowed down and consumers cut buying. However, Census doesn’t have sufficient statistical* evidence to conclude that the actual change is different from zero.
March, given an economy in free-fall, will see a bigger decrease in the deficit, but that’s not good news. Roughly two-thirds of the US economy comes from consumer spending. Yesterday, the Labor Department reported that a record number of 6.6 million people applied for unemployment last week. During the last two weeks more than 10 million people in the US were out of work. That should take your breathe away – sadly, like Corona virus.
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NASCAR Finish Line Tweaked with E-Racing as COVID Thrives
The fan base of NASCAR has been severely threatened – medically, economically – by the ongoing lack of US preparedness and actions around COVID-19. Click to Enlarge the simulation.
NASCAR today announced a series of new fantasy and prop betting offerings on the eNASCAR iRacing.com Pro Invitational Series, created by NASCAR’s gaming partner, Penn Interactive. Given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, crowds aren’t returning to public spaces anytime soon despite the happy-talk of the Trump Administration.
In February when NASCAR was still in deep denial about the gravity of the Corona crisis, it and Penn Interactive announced a new multi-year partnership that led to the creation of a brand new, free-to-play, mobile game dubbed NASCAR Finish Line. It offered users the chance to win a $50,000 jackpot every race. Now, today in absence of real racing, the app is being relaunched to include eNASCAR contests. (NASCAR Still Racing So Far, Buffers and Restrictions Added, NASCAR Bans Fans at Races, NASCAR Ends Denial of COVID-19 Pandemic, eNASCAR iRacing Pro Invitational Series to Bootup) Continue reading →