Economy

A blockbuster new study digs into the economics of the pandemic.

After three months with much of the country working from home, many employers and their workers say the benefits of remote work — cost savings and a more relaxed atmosphere — outweigh the drawbacks.

In another sign of how the coronavirus crisis is disrupting commerce, banks are running short of nickels, dimes and quarters. The Federal Reserve, which supplies banks, is having to ration change.

NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro speaks with Matthew Warren of the Western Center on Law & Poverty about how ending pandemic-related eviction prohibitions will affect low-income and unemployed tenants.

During the outbreak, courts have turned to the online conferencing service. But some people don't have access to smartphones or the Internet. Legal challenges are likely.

A recent change has led to some colleges hesitating to help students affected by the economic downturn.

NPR's daily economics podcast The Indicator from Planet Money investigates how the fees and fines that make up city budgets disproportionately target low-income communities and communities of color.

Another 1.5 million people file for unemployment benefits for the first time, but the number who are continuing to seek the payments continues to decline as workers return to their jobs.

The company is making permanent a $2 bonus it created during the pandemic, as many retailers have been phasing out "hazard pay." Target previously planned to raise its pay minimum by the end of 2020.

The pandemic has changed the way Americans spend money, and wealthy families started spending less. Their cautious spending on in-person services may put the brakes on economic recovery.

While retail sales bounced back in May after a deep drop in March and April, the wealthiest Americans are not spending as freely as they did before the pandemic. And that could limit the recovery.

Climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are not part of the $3 trillion in U.S. relief packages passed so far — despite a long history of funding energy programs after economic crises.