Business
US retail sales plunged a record 16% in April as virus hit
Other than online, not a single retail category was spared in April. Auto dealers suffered a monthly drop of 13%.
4 years ago
Clash over reopening economy simmers below the surface in rural Pa. COVID hotspot
In parts of rural Pa. there has been growing angst about Gov. Tom Wolf’s coronavirus shutdown plan.
4 years ago
Listen 5:24Barbers go underground: Getting a haircut on the sly
Barbershops have been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But that doesn’t mean barbers aren’t working.
4 years ago
Atlantic City casinos shatter revenue-drop record — again
April was the cruelest month ever in Atlantic City as casinos saw their revenue fall by nearly 69% during a coronavirus-mandated shutdown.
4 years ago
How Mural Arts is helping artists get paid during the pandemic
Philly’s Mural Arts Program is finding ways to get artists work and to get them paid, despite concerns over looming budget cuts to arts funding and the city’s arts office.
4 years ago
Pa. officials revoked business waivers the night before publishing list of recipients
Just hours before the Wolf administration disclosed the first details about which businesses received waivers, officials were still revoking exemptions without explanation.
4 years ago
Why the prospect of deflation could pose a threat to US economy
The economic paralysis caused by the coronavirus led in April to the steepest month-to-month fall in U.S. consumer prices since the 2008 financial crisis — a 0.8% drop.
4 years ago
“It wasn’t about getting masks out to the public. It was about saving his company and making as much money as possible."
4 years ago
Philly-area businesses say federal ‘Payroll Protection’ loans put them ‘at risk’
Small business owners hoped federal stimulus loans would provide a critical lifeline. But many say the funds won’t cover their most urgent costs.
4 years ago
Listen 1:31Trump faces virus risk at home amid push to ‘reopen’ nation
Images of top administration officials taking stepped-up protective measures come as states seek to loosen economic restrictions put in place to mitigate the virus’ spread.
4 years ago
Workers in Pa. with preexisting health conditions fear a call to return to work
With no guarantee they can collect unemployment if they refuse to go to work, immunocompromised workers fear a near-impossible choice: Risk losing their jobs, or their life.
4 years ago
A distinct possibility: ‘Temporary’ layoffs may be permanent
If most layoffs become permanent, the severe recession the economy has slid into would likely last longer and the recovery would be slower.
4 years ago
Your boss may soon track you at work for coronavirus safety
Companies around the country are figuring out how to safely reopen office during the pandemic. The new normal might involve smartphone apps and badges to track employees.
4 years ago
Crayons, flowers, taxidermy: Wolf releases list of ‘life-sustaining’ business waivers
Gov. Wolf’s administration faced criticism that its business waiver process during the shutdown seemed arbitrary and its decision making was opaque.
4 years ago
Super-sanitized Delaware hair salon serves grateful customers
Gov. John Carney has taken “interim steps’ to allow limited reopening of non-essential businesses, but the takers were few Friday morning.
4 years ago