How some of the 5.5 million businesses that got PPP loans spent the money

Jul 7, 2020
Most of it went to hiring back furloughed employees — or hiring new ones.
A bartender mixes a drink at a Maryland restaurant. PPP loans allowed some bars and restaurants to stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.
Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images

Homeowners had amassed record equity as crisis began

Jul 6, 2020
Housing wealth and other protections advantage owners over renters.
A neighborhood in San Francisco. Home values have only kept rising as buyers compete for a limited supply of houses.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

After a 3-month borrowing spree, corporations put the brakes on more debt

Jul 6, 2020
Some borrow less because they're optimistic, some because they're pessimistic and some because they're cautious.
A face mask hangs on a fence outside the New York Stock Exchange. Corporate borrowing has slowed as companies reconsider the economic future.
Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images

How one artist expanded her role during the pandemic and protests

Jul 6, 2020
Multimedia artist Atiya Jones says she makes art about “small, accumulative actions.” But the form of that art has changed during COVID-19.
A self-portrait of multimedia artist Atiya Jones, who started making and selling masks during the pandemic.
Courtesy of Atiya Jones

Air travel isn't getting back to normal anytime soon

Jul 6, 2020
There’s been some recovery in passenger numbers since the peak of the COVID-19 lockdowns, but not much.
Travelers walk past a system of thermal imaging cameras looking for fevers, part of a test at Los Angeles International Airport in June.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Expect more staycations this summer

Jul 3, 2020
AAA predicts trips on planes, cruises, buses and trains will be down 75% to 85%.
Beachgoers take in the views while wearing masks in Ventura, California. Planning a summer vacation this year poses extra logistical challenges.
Brent Stirton/Getty Images

Performing arts innovate in desperate times

Jul 2, 2020
The show must go on — somehow — for theater and other live productions in order for their companies to survive financially.
A violinist plays to an empty concert hall during a video-recorded concert in Slovakia in May. Performing arts companies are finding innovative ways to stay financially viable in the face of COVID-19.
Vladimir Simicek/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Despite June's bullish employment numbers, the job market is reeling — and will be for a while

Jul 2, 2020
Employment remains below pre-pandemic levels, and as recently reopened businesses re-close, more job losses are on the way.
A grocery store employee cleans carts for customers in New York. Low-wage workers are disproportionately affected by the suffering job market.
Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

What will happen to New York's sky high rents?

Jul 2, 2020
Some are getting breaks on commercial and residential rent, but it won't last forever.
A banner calling for New York Gov. Cuomo to cancel rent in May as people struggle to pay rent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

Pandemic death toll may have been undercounted, researchers say

Jul 2, 2020
Researchers found that 28% more deaths may have been related to COVID-19.
Medical personnel at Brooklyn Hospital Center move a deceased patient to a refrigerated truck in April.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images