COVID changed grocery shopping. Customers cut stores of choice, changed shopping days, shifted browsing to rushing, and moved from favorite brand to any brand. Stores faced stock-outs, hoarding, safety concerns, on-line shopping, bulk…
Oil was hit by dual shocks – COVID-19 crushed demand and a Saudi-Russia price war piled on. While prices are now rising, it’s doubtful oil markets will return to “normal”, and uncertain what…
Freight railroads have hit a rough patch. While PSR improved performance, COVID has dealt a severe blow. Carloads fell 28% and intermodal dropped 13% in May from 2019. Autos and coal were the…
COVID has taken a toll on mining. Demand and prices for many commodities remain weak and volatile. Many mines are idle. Staff have taken pay cuts or unpaid leave. Companies face material shortages…
COVID-19 has not treated retailers equally. Companies that sell necessities , like Amazon and Walmart, have surged while those selling non-essentials have tanked. Malls have closed while e-Commerce has taken off. Contact is…
Airline traffic remains weak with TSA screenings 88% below 2019 pre-Memorial Day. This creates a period of reckoning for airlines/OEMs. Boeing had zero orders in April and announced layoffs. Airbus warned of “bleeding…
COVID-19 has had big impacts on big Pharma. Supply chains are tested by foreign sourcing of active ingredients (APIs), generics and vaccines. Clinical trials are hindered by stay at home orders. Potential vaccines…
Fast food is big – $277B sales, 194,000 sites, 3.9M staff in 2019. But COVID-19 has taken a big bite. Most dine-in options are closed. Sales plunged 57% from April 1-10 per National…
Hospitals face wrenching decisions and jarring changes. Demand for virus care has rocketed while elective care has plunged. There are shortages of staff, beds, equipment and supplies. Staff members are sick. In many…
Human interactions make us happy. They help us work, play and socialize. But the biggest toll of COVID-19 is on human interactions. Every contact is now a risk, requiring masks, gloves and sanitizer….