Coronavirus may stall U.S. economy

The coronavirus will stall the U.S. economy without causing a contraction, according to a Goldman Sachs forecast issued Sunday.
GDP growth will slow to 0.7% in the current quarter, the worst pace since the financial crisis, and grind to a halt in the second quarter, said the group led by Jan Hatzius, the investment bank’s chief U.S. economist.
The third quarter likely will see 1% growth, and the fourth quarter is expected to post a 2.3% expansion, according to the forecast.
“We lowered our Q1 GDP tracking forecast by two tenths over the past week to 0.7% based on a downward revision to January wholesale inventories and declines in U.S. and global trade volumes,” the report said.
The investment bank also is predicting the Federal Reserve will lower its benchmark rate by half a percentage point at its two-day meeting ending March 18 and another half a percentage point at its meeting a month later. That would put the rate in the 0.5% to 0.75% range, the lowest in three years.
The Fed made a rare inter-meeting emergency rate cut of half a percentage point last week in an effort to bolster the economy and calm coronavirus fears.
The coronavirus outbreak has sickened about 110,000 people in more than 100 countries and is close to being declared a pandemic, the World Health Organization said on Monday. Officials reported over 500 cases in the U.S. and 22 deaths from the disease named COVID-19.
The U.S. economy is struggling with the global impact of the coronavirus that emerged in China at the end of last year. Within two months, the number of people infected with COVID-19 surpassed the 2002 to 2003 total for SARS, the last time the world faced a similar challenge.
Back then, China accounted for about 4% of the global economy. Now, its share is about 17%. Quarantines in China have resulted in supply-chain disruptions for U.S. companies, as well as a drop in global trade volume and U.S. tourism.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crucial Coronavirus Cleaning Tips: How To Keep Your Home Germ-Free During the Pandemic

Image
How long the virus survives—and where it thrives The novel coronavirus can survive on surfaces anywhere from hours to days. The latest information is that it can last 24 hours on cardboard, 48 to 72 hours on plastic, and 48 to 72 hours on stainless steel, says  Dr. Reuben Elovitz , internist and CEO at  Private Health Dallas , who cited a recent study from the  New England Journal of Medicine . The duration also depends on a few other factors, like temperature and whether a surface is prone to holding moisture. “Wooden handles, for example, are more likely to be damp than metal under normal conditions—and damp conditions can enable many infectious agents to thrive,” explains molecular biologist  Dr. Tracey Evans . “ Furthermore, a warm room is more favorable for many pathogens than a cold one.” Regardless of what kinds of temperatures and surfaces you have in your home, there are things you can do to keep these dangerous pathogens at bay. Ditch germs at ...
Read more

7 Ways to Create a Neighborly Front Yard

Image
1. Shade the Sidewalk Consider placing a tree where it will shade the sidewalk to help create a pleasant environment and encourage walking and visiting among neighbors. Trees provide rain and sun protection, and temperature differentials of 5 to 15 degrees are felt when walking on tree-canopied streets. In urban areas trees help mitigate the  heat-island effect  and provide a connection to nature. Most cities require permits for adding trees to a parkway (or hell strip), but permits are not usually required for planting on private property. Sean Papich Landscape Architecture 2. Set the Fence Back Placing a low fence or wall back a few feet from the edge of the sidewalk allows room for planting, and plants provide visual interest for pedestrians. In addition to cheerful  daisies  like these, velvety plants such as  lamb’s ears  ( Stachys byzantina ;   USDA zones 4 to 9;  find your zone ) would work well. June Scott Design ...
Read more

What’s New in Outdoor Lighting Design

Image
Linear Lighting There’s a trend toward the more extensive integration of lighting with modern hardscape elements. Sleek, minimalist linear step lighting illuminates a path while keeping light fixtures hidden from view. It also enables you to more easily highlight an architectural feature, such as stairs or a freestanding wall.  ZEN Associates, Inc. Laurie Ghielmetti Floating Structures Another trend is placing lights beneath landscape structures, creating the illusion that they are floating-- light is hidden to visually float steps, benches, bridges and other outdoor landscape elements. dSPACE Studio Ltd, AIA BEGA North America Sleek, Modern Fixtures A big trend is to use path lights that look more architectural, rather than the traditional flower or mushroom shapes. Pistils Landscape Design + Build Nightfall Landscape Lighting Low-Voltage Lighting While low-voltage lighting is not necessarily a new concept,...
Read more