Media Coverage

On April 18, a federal court judge ended the federal transportation face mask mandate, deeming it an overstep of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention authority. Almost immediately, airlines responded by making face masks on flights optional. The White House continues to urge travelers on all modes of transportation (air, rail and public transit) to continue to wear face masks to reduce virus transmission, particularly for those most vulnerable to developing a serious case of COVID-19.

Brian Levitt, global market strategist for Invesco says that there is some good news in the market -- with signs that the bond market is expecting inflation to slow and ease and other indicators showing promise -- but everyone should be watching the impact of Federal Reserve interest-rate hikes to see how long the current doldrums drag on. Levitt noted that less than 25 percent of companies on the New York Stock Exchange are trading above their 200-day moving average, and that the market typically bottoms out when that number reaches 15 percent, but he noted that commodity prices, interest rates and inflation all must moderate before the market gets to a more solid footing. Also on the show, Professor Pelin Pekgun from the Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina discusses inflation and how supply chain issues typically get resolved so that an economy can break the cycle of rising prices and shortages to return to normal, Ted Rossman of Bankrate.com discusses the record levels of household debt -- but a surprising drop in credit-card debt -- reported Tuesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, and Andy Behar of As You Sow discusses the group's research showing that many social investment funds aren't practicing what their name says they should preach, holding stocks that don't belong in a fund built around current governance standards.

Although COVID-19 infections have dropped from the winter, some parts of the country are seeing an uptick in cases. What will the pandemic look like this summer?

In 2021, the NCAA changed its student athlete transfer policy, effectively permitting the athletes in sports, like football and basketball, to transfer one time to another school with immediate eligibility and no longer require them to sit out for one year. The penalty was sufficient to ensure students athletes who transferred were both serious about their decision and had some “skin in the game.” By removing any barriers to transferring, student athletes are free to move to another program for any reason, effectively using the transfer portal as a free agency market for their talent.

China has stated a zero-COVID policy to address the COVID-19 pandemic within the country. This means that the Chinese government is willing to impose any actions necessary (widespread testing, contact tracing, vaccination, isolation) to eradicate the virus that causes COVID-19, effectively working to eliminate it from the country.  As a result, it has locked down several areas, including Beijing and Shanghai, to stop the spread of the virus and bring new cases down to zero. They have reported a significant drop in the number of new cases within the quarantined area, and no new cases outside of it. China’s President Xi Jinping has reiterated his commitment to a zero-COVID policy, despite criticism and resistance.