Atlanta Journal-Constitution (February 7)
“Omicron was supposed to wreak havoc on the labor market.” Instead, companies are trying “to retain workers now that hiring new ones has become costlier and more difficult.” January’s jump in hiring also demonstrates “the economy’s growing capacity to weather renewed waves of surging coronavirus cases.”
Tags: Surging
Washington Post (February 6)
“Fatigued, frustrated and frazzled by five surges over two years, some parts of the U.S. population have decided to simply live with the coronavirus and move on. And with a triple-shot of vaccine on board — or protection acquired from prior infection — alongside case numbers falling precipitously, polls show their numbers are increasing.”
Tags: Coronavirus, Fatigued, Frazzled, Frustrated, Infection, Live with, Move on, Polls, Protection, Surges, U.S., Vaccine
Australian Financial Review (February 4)
“Mr Buffett shocked the world in 2020 when Berkshire Hathaway announced that it bought stakes in five of Japan’s biggest trading companies, which at the time were grappling with declining profits as the COVID-19 pandemic reduced demand for fuel and raw materials.” Now, his “surprise bet” is clearly “paying off as the companies expect a record-breaking rebound in profits.”
Tags: 2020, Berkshire Hathaway, Buffett, COVID-19, Demand, Fuel, Grappling, Japan, Pandemic, Profits, Raw materials, Shocked, Stakes, Trading companies
CNN (February 3)
“Meta Platforms, the company formerly known as Facebook, just had its worst trading day in its history as a public company,” dropping $240 billion or 26% of its market cap. “The eye-popping drop in value is a reminder of just how massive the tech giant really is. Meta’s market cap has now declined by an amount that is greater than the total valuation of most public companies.”
Tags: $240 billion, Drop, Eye-popping, Facebook, Giant, Market-cap, Massive, Meta Platforms, Tech, Trading, Value, Worst
New York Times (February 2)
“Warehouse space is the latest thing being hoarded.” Retailers and logistics companies now confront a new challenge as they “try to stockpile goods to hedge against supply chain problems…. The shortage of commercial warehouse and industrial space is the latest fallout from pandemic-fueled growth in online shopping and shows few signs of abating.”
Tags: Challenge, Commercial, Fallout, Hoarded, Industrial, Logistics, Pandemic, Problems, Retailers, Shortage, Space, Stockpile, Supply chain, Warehouse
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (February 1)
“The highly contagious omicron variant has pushed the daily average of U.S. COVID-19 deaths higher than last fall’s delta wave as the nation nears a chilling milestone of 900,000 coronavirus deaths.” Statewide deaths have also been growing, though “it remains unclear if Georgia will surpass the peak that followed the devastating surge of the earlier delta variant.”
Tags: Chilling, Contagious, Coronavirus, COVID-19, Deaths, Delta wave, Devastating, Georgia, Milestone, Omicron, Peak, Surge, Surpass, U.S., Variant
Wall Street Journal (February 1)
“Despite record-high case numbers, the U.K. and other governments across Europe responded to Omicron with lighter restrictions than any previous wave of the virus, allowing businesses to remain open.” Moreover, individuals and businesses have “adapted to restrictions, minimizing the effects.” As a result, economic growth in Europe has slowed far less than during previous surges.
Tags: Businesses, Cases, Economic growth, Europe, High, Individuals, Omicron, Open, Record, Restrictions, Slowed, U.K., Virus
The Guardian (February 28)
“Moscow is bracing for economic panic when markets open on Monday morning, with the value of the rouble expected to plummet at least 25% after the US and European Union announced unprecedented sanctions over the weekend.” The resulting economic turbulence “will mark a key moment when the gravity of the crisis in Ukraine hits home for many ordinary Russians.”
Tags: Bracing, Crisis, Economic panic, EU, Gravity, Markets, Moscow, Ordinary Russians, Plummet, Rouble, Sanctions, Turbulence, U.S., Ukraine, Unprecedented
Boston Globe (January 31)
“It’s almost as if Massachusetts has too many biotechs.” With a “surplus of startups,” reflecting “investors’ desire to pour more money into the world’s leading biotech hub,” the pipeline of qualified workers simply “can’t keep up with the burgeoning demand.” The talent shortage may “inhibit growth” and could “affect the quality of work.”
Tags: Biotech hub, Burgeoning, Demand, Growth, Investors, Leading, Massachusetts, Money, Pipeline, Qualified, Shortage, Startups, Surplus, Talent, Workers
