As the coronavirus continues to spread across the U.S., health experts point to a series of missteps and mis-calculations in the country’s response by federal and state governments. Here is a look back of how the U.S. became the epicenter to the pandemic.
“The fate of many lives, not to mention the U.S. and global economy, largely depends on the containment of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus.” Goldman Sachs
According to a recent analysis by U.S. investment bank, Goldman Sachs, there’s one simple thing Americans can do that would boost U.S. GDP and make a huge difference to the economy, American jobs, and overall prosperity.
Goldman Sachs’ analysis, led by its chief economist Jan Hatzius, concluded that “a universal mask-wearing order can improve the U.S. GDP by a huge five percentage points”. And according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “cloth face coverings are recommended as a simple barrier to help prevent respiratory droplets from traveling into the air and onto other people when the person wearing the cloth face covering coughs, sneezes, talks, or raises their voice”.
Goldman agrees with the emerging scientific evidence that “face masks are associated with significantly better coronavirus outcomes.” And, based on the growing evidence, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has expanded its mask guidance stating that Americans should wear them in all “public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain”.
Goldman’s analysis concludes “a national face mask order could increase face mask-wearing by 15 percentage points, reducing the transmission growth rate of confirmed cases from 1.6% to 0.6%”. Goldman concludes that “increased face-masking would substitute for local lock downs and social distancing, which caused U.S. GDP to decline 17% between January and April”.
While anecdotal evidence does suggest strongly that universal mask-wearing can greatly benefit the economy and save lives, it has been difficult to convince Americans of this fact. As a result of not mandating a national face mask-wearing, there has been a resurgence of COVID-19 inflections and hospitalizations in a number of southern and western states in the U.S.
From a medical expert perspective, “if everyone in the U.S. wore a mask, the coronavirus pandemic could be under control within four to eight weeks”, was conveyed by Centers for the Disease Control and Prevention director Robert Redfield in a discussion led by medical journal JAMA.
In summary, Goldman Sachs’ analysis suggests that the economic benefit from “adopting a national face mask mandate and increased face mask usage” could be sizable, especially when compared with the alternative of a return to broader societal lock downs and increasing COVID-19 infections.
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Positive early data shows the vaccines spur the generation of more neutralizing antibodies
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted “fast track” status to two promising coronavirus candidates from Pfizer and BioNTech. The two vaccine candidates are called BNT162b1 and BNT162b2, and both are messenger ribonucleic acid (or mRNA) vaccines.
The fast-track status was granted based on preliminary data from phase one and two studies in the U.S. and Germany. The company expects to enroll 30,000 people in its next phase of trials.
If the trials are successful, the companies hope to make 100 million doses by the end of the year and possibly more than 1.2 billion doses by the end of 2021.
“The FDA’s decision to grant these two COVID-19 vaccine candidates Fast Track designation signifies an important milestone in the efforts to develop a safe and effective vaccine against SARS-CoV-2,” said Peter Honig, senior vice president of global regulatory affairs at Pfizer.
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Beets are a nutritional powerhouse.
Beetroot’s history dates back to around 300 B.C., when Greek doctors began using the leaves to bind and dress wounds, believing the leaves were a source of healing. Then Hippocrates in the 4th century discovered it was the root itself that was the source of beneficial nutrients.
Beetroot is one of the more clinically researched foods. More than 2,500 studies have been done, showing beetroot to have high levels of dietary nitrates, which go through a chemical exchange in our bodies – the NO (Nitrate-nitrite-nitric oxide) pathway.
Healthiest foods
Beetroot is one of the healthiest foods you can eat. They’re a powerhouse of nutrients, packed with tons of vitamins and minerals that have been proven to provide a wealth of benefits for overall health and well-being.
One cup of cooked beet roots has 75 calories, 17 grams of carbs, 3 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber and meets more than 10 percent of the daily value for potassium, magnesium and vitamin C.
Betaine compounds
Beets are also rich in betalains, a class of potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatories that battle free radical- and inflammation-related chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity, and possibly cancer. Speaking of cancer, research suggests that betacyanin, the pigment that gives beets its pretty purple hue may help protect against common carcinogens; it has also shown promise against laboratory-grown breast cancer cells and is currently being investigated as a cancer-fighter.
This nutrient can help to protect cells, protein and enzymes from inflammation and environmental stress. While inflammation is helpful for the body, too much can be destructive, leading to cellular damage in the brain that can contribute to the development of neurological diseases. Beets also contain a high amount of antioxidants that protect your body – including your brain – from damage caused by free radicals.
Research shows that betaine, an amino acid found in beets, can help prevent and reduce the accumulation of fat in the liver. And, betaine improves growth and the efficiency of food utilization and reduces body fat. Animal studies show that rats given beet juice have higher levels of detoxifying enzymes in their bloodstream. Research on people with diabetes shows that betaine improves liver function, slightly decreases cholesterol, and reduces liver size.
Nitrates
Beetroot is a rich source of nitrates, which your body uses to create energy. When you ingest nitrates, your body turns it into nitric oxide, a molecule that improves the dilation of your blood vessels and helps to promote better blood flow. That means better circulation, and possibly lower blood pressure. A very small study from 2012 found that 13 men who drank just one glass of beet juice temporarily lowered their systolic blood pressure by an average of 4 to 5 points.
These compounds in beets can help to widen your blood vessels, which makes it easier for your muscles to absorb vital nutrients. As a result, your muscles will repair themselves more quickly, which leads to increased growth.
Additionally, the nitric oxide found in beets can help to enhance the development of the cells that surround the muscles and rebuild tissue. Additionally, nitric acid is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in triggering neurons, thereby activating your brain and making you feel more alert. Beets have also been found to enhance mental clarity and improve focus; two things that can help to increase your energy levels and make you feel more awake.
High nitrate veggies promote the formation of nitric oxide (NO) which is a powerful vasodilator. As a result, arteries will dilate to their fullest. Favorite 6 ‘greens’ are KALE, SPINACH, SWISS CHARD, ARUGULA, BEET GREENS, BEETS (yes, beets!)
Improve your stamina
Research has suggested that nitrates boost endurance performance. In one study, cyclists who drank beet juice could pedal hard 15% longer in a time trial to exhaustion. It takes about three to five beets (depending on their size, which varies widely) to get a performance boost, says study author Andy Jones, PhD, dean of research in the College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter. “Peak nitrate levels occur two to three hours after you eat or drink them,” he says.
Soluble fiber
Beets are a good source of soluble fiber. Fiber is good for you because they fuel your body, giving you the energy that is needed to perform virtually all functions. Fiber also aids in healthy digestion, which means that eating these veggies can help you maintain your weight.
By eating beets, you reduce the amount of time it takes for you to recover from some ailments, such as a cold, the flu, or a stomach virus. Beets could also help your body fight against more severe illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease. If you want to give your immune system a boost, look into eating more beets.
Beets can lower your blood sugar is because of the high amount of soluble fiber they contain. Research has found that soluble fiber can reduce blood glucose levels because it slows digestion, and slower digestion means slower absorption of glucose.
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The burden of race and racism in America. Racial disparities in income and generational wealth are among the most visible and persistent features of American society.
The defining feature of the American Dream is upward mobility – the aspiration that all children have a chance at economic success, no matter their background. However, there are substantial barriers to economic opportunity that prevent Americans, specifically Black males, from rising out of poverty and achieving better life outcomes. “Black and white boys have very different economic outcomes even if they grow up in two-parent families with comparable incomes, education, and wealth, live on the same city block, and attend the same school,” according to the Equality of Opportunity Project.
In 99% of neighborhoods in the United States, black boys earn less in adulthood than white boys who grow up in families with comparable income.
Black boys raised in America, even in the wealthiest families and living in some of the most well-to-do neighborhoods, still earn less in adulthood than white boys with similar backgrounds, according to a sweeping new study that traced the lives of millions of children.
White boys who grow up rich are likely to remain that way. Black boys raised at the top, however, are more likely to become poor than to stay wealthy in their own adult households.
According to the study, led by researchers at Stanford, Harvard and the Census Bureau, income inequality between blacks and whites is driven entirely by what is happening among these boys and the men they become. Though black girls and women face deep inequality on many measures, black and white girls from families with comparable earnings attain similar individual incomes as adults.
African-Americans made up about 35 percent of all children raised in the bottom 1 percent of the income distribution. They made up less than 1 percent of the children at the very top. White children are more likely to start life with economic advantages. But we now know that even when they start with the same advantages as black children, white boys still fare better, only reinforcing the disparities seen here.
In reality, whites and blacks are not represented equally across the income spectrum. More than two-thirds of black boys are raised by poor or lower-middle-class families, while more than half of white boys are raised by rich or upper-middle-class families.
The most promising pathways to reducing the black-white income gap are efforts such as mentoring programs for black boys, efforts to reduce racial bias among whites, interventions to reduce discrimination in criminal justice, and efforts to facilitate greater interaction across racial groups.
Essentially, society needs to create the same opportunities for black men to thrive as you see for white men. That would involve things like mentoring programs, reducing racial bias, creating more racial integration within schools and within neighborhoods, so black and white kids have similar opportunities.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/03/19/upshot/race-class-white-and-black-men.html
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“The relationship between Black employees and their employing organizations is, at best, a tenuous one.”
by Stephanie Creary, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Management
The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
July 08, 2020
Executive Summary
Research suggests that the relationship between Black employees and their employing organizations is, at best, a tenuous one. Black employees — at all levels — feel that they have not been adequately heard, understood, or granted opportunities to the same extent as their white peers.
The author, Dr. Stephanie Creary, has devised a framework to help people from different backgrounds build stronger relationships in the workplace. Known by the acronym LEAP, the framework encourages company leaders — particularly people managers — to become better allies by:
Public Positioning (Woke-Washing)
Woke-washing is “a modern-day marketing tactic in which corporations superficially align themselves with progressive causes, often while continuing to perpetuate inequality or unethical practices behind the scenes”.
A few U.S. CEOs and corporations have been positioning themselves publicly as being progressive on social issues such as racism, injustice and inequality. They have been taking a public stand against the racism and injustice while also admitting their own shortcomings in matters of equality.
Yet, for many well known corporations and organizations, there has been a large dichotomy between their companies’ (or organizations’) words and their actions.
Read more: https://hbr.org/2020/07/how-to-be-a-better-ally-to-your-black-colleagues
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About Professor Stephanie J. Creary: Dr. Creary is an identity and diversity scholar and a field researcher. She is also a founding faculty member of the Wharton IDEAS lab (Identity, Diversity, Engagement, Affect, and Social Relationships), an affiliated faculty member of Wharton People Analytics, a Senior Fellow of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI), and affiliated faculty member of the Penn Center for Africana Studies. She leads the Leading Diversity@Wharton Speaker Series as part of her Leading Diversity in Organizations course at Wharton. She conducts research on the topics of identity, diversity and inclusion, and relationships across differences. She also advises and speaks to corporate audiences on the following topics:
“Dividend stocks can provide investors with predictable income as well as long-term growth potential.” Motley Fool
Dividend stocks have faced strong headwinds, including payout cuts and suspensions as efforts to fight the pandemic have hampered corporate cash flows.
Yet, investors who have a moderate risk tolerance should consider pursuing a proven dividend-growth investment strategy for income and return in volatile markets. In volatile markets, protecting current income becomes more important than ever for investors. But you also want to satisfy your need for current income and capital growth.
Dividend-paying stocks tend to provide more defensive protection in adverse market environments and they tend to grow over time and protect your real purchasing power. Dividend-paying stocks also tend to have more of a value orientation.
When dividend stocks go up, you make money. When they don’t go up — you still make money (from the dividend). When a dividend stock goes down in price, it’s not all bad news, because the dividend yield (the absolute dividend amount, divided by the stock price) gets richer the more the stock falls in price.
Historically, stocks with rising dividends greatly outpaced the dividend cutters or non-dividend-paying stocks. Further, if you focused on rising-dividend stocks over non-dividend-paying stocks, you would have increased your investment by an average of 4.3% per year over this nearly 48-year study.
So, a $10,000 investment in non-dividend-paying stocks made at the beginning of this study, growing at an average annual return of 8.57%, would be worth over $500,000 today.
However, the same $10,000 investment in dividend growers over the same period at a 12.87% average annual return would be worth an incredible $3.24 million!
That’s not the only benefit. Returns from dividends have also exhibited a lower standard deviation, or variability, over time. Since the overall volatility of a stock’s total return is typically dominated by its price movements, dividends contribute a component of stability to that total return.
Looking for good dividend-paying stocks
Despite challenging economic times, certain companies have grown their dividends during previous downturns; there may be precedent for their willingness and ability to grow their dividends again. While much remains uncertain, the highest-quality companies have proven their ability to grow their dividends over time. They have demonstrated an ability to survive through a range of market environments, even raising dividends during and after previous recessions.
These companies prioritize sustaining dividends in challenging times. They are dividend-paying royalty. However, it’s advised to avoid stocks with very high yields since they could be prone to dividend cuts or suspensions. Seek dividend stocks with a fortress balance sheet providing solid cash flow, reasonable dividend payout yield, above average earnings growth and little to no debt. Avoid companies with heavier debt loads, as measured by net debt (debt minus cash) to earnings-before-interest-taxes-deprecation-and amortization (EBITDA) ratios.
Investors seeking dividend sustainability need look no further than the Dividend Aristocrats: a list of companies within the S&P 500 index that have increased their dividend payouts consecutively for 25 years or more. The 64 S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats have raised their dividends in an era that spans the Iraq wars, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Great Recession, and now the novel coronavirus pandemic.
But while the Dividend Aristocrats list is a great place to start for identifying dividend stalwarts, you are advised to avoid the highest-yielding stocks—some of which can be value traps or worse. It is okay to look for companies that are paying a decent amount of their earnings back in the form of income, but if the price moves too high and their dividend yield drops, then you’ll sell the stock and capture the gains.
Additionally, under the recently passed 2020 CARES Act, “companies that borrow money from the federal government may not repurchase stock, pay a dividend, or make any other capital distributions until 12 months after the loan is repaid in full,” according to Goldman Sachs.
Investors should always consider their investment objectives, their comfort level and risk tolerance before investing. And, they should keep in the forefront of their mindset that investment plans do not need to change in periods of high volatility since they should be based on five years or longer time horizon.
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For the most part, many wealthy Americans and ‘next door millionaires’ favor for their own investment portfolios and recommend for small retail investors to invest in market index funds or ETF. An index fund is a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF) that mimics the behavior of an underlying index such as the S&P 500.
Investing in index funds is a winning strategy when playing the stock market for two reasons:
If someone does not have the time or inclination to research companies financial balance sheets, management effectiveness and business operations, they should buy index funds. I’ve invested in Vanguard’s ETF (VOO) because of its low fees and its return track the S&P 500 market index. In short, the average American doesn’t have the time, knowledge, and desire to properly invest in individual stocks.
Beating the market versus moving with the market
When you invest in index funds, your goal is to keep pace with the market. That’s very different from the approach taken by stock traders and active mutual fund managers. Stock traders don’t want to keep pace with the market; they want to beat the market.
The trouble is that few people can consistently beat the market over a five or ten year period. According to S&P Indices Versus Active (SPIVA), 80.6% of actively managed large-cap mutual funds underperformed the S&P 500 over the past five years. In other words, beating the market is hard for anyone and especially hard for the part-time investor.
When you invest in an index fund, you’re signing up for the good and the bad. That’s why it’s important to invest for the long term and only invest funds you don’t need for seven years or more. That way, you can ride out the inevitable downturns calmly, without having to liquidate at a low point.
Warren Buffett’s recommendation
Billionaire investor Warren Buffet is a strong proponent of of investing in the market index for most retail investors. At Berkshire Hathaway’s 2016 shareholder meeting, Buffett said that most investors’ best option is to put their money into a low-cost index fund.
Buffett’s reasoning for index fund investing, and for S&P 500 index funds in particular, is that they will match the market’s performance over time — no more, no less. This may sound boring, but the reality is that the market’s performance has been quite good over time, producing annualized returns of 9%-10% on average. And with rock-bottom management expenses, investors will be the beneficiary of virtually all of the gains.
Essentially, investing in a broad basket of stocks, such as the S&P 500 index, is a bet on American businesses, which Buffett feels is sure to do well over time. “American business — and consequently a basket of stocks — is virtually certain to be worth far more in the years ahead,” Buffett said in his 2016 letter to shareholders.
I’ve been a disciple and follower of Warren Buffett since 2007. I invested in his company back in 2008 when I found myself wondering how I could get the sweet stock warrant deals like Warren received from Bank of America. Then one day it dawned on me that I could get the benefit of his sweet stock deals by investing his Berkshire-Hathaway stock.
In short, we concur with Warren in the most part. But, I also believe that every American should save and be invested in the U.S. equity stock market if they invest and want to accumulate wealth and achieve financial security.
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People under 40 now make up the majority of COVID-19 cases, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from 17 states. They found that the average age of a new person reported to have coronavirus has fallen significantly since March.
Although younger adults are less likely to develop severe infections of COVID-19, some do develop serious and even life-threatening complications.
Customers are fighting once again with airlines to get cash refunds for cancelled travel plans.
