MOST RECENT ARTICLES BY:

Josh Barro

  1. the top line
    The $2 Trillion Coronavirus Relief Package Should Work — for NowThe unemployment expansion and loans to businesses will help keep Americans afloat, but state governments are going to need more money down the line.
  2. the top line
    Today’s 3.3 Million Job Losses Is Just the StartWhile the initial unemployment claims figure released on Thursday is shockingly high, it also is probably low.
  3. the top line
    GOP Senators’ Objection to Expanded Unemployment Benefits Makes Little SenseWork incentives are just such an odd place to focus one’s attention right now. Currently, we need less work in America.
  4. the top line
    Here’s What the Fed Is Doing, Isn’t Doing, and Can’t Do to Address CoronavirusThe Fed is good at many things. But its natural limitations highlight how important it is for Congress to act, and to do so soon.
  5. the top line
    A Sufficiently Large Fiscal Package Is an Essential Virus-Fighting ToolA big spending package is needed to protect families, but it’s also necessary if we hope to retain public cooperation with costly anti-virus measures.
  6. the top line
    How a Riskier World Has Me Rethinking My InvestmentsMy strategy had long been to buy and hold for the long term. That changed – in part, anyway – earlier this month.
  7. intelligencer chats
    Will Markets Ever Adjust to the Coronavirus Era?Incredible volatility has defined the last few weeks. More certainty about the disease’s course will provide much-needed clarity.
  8. the top line
    Part of the Coronavirus Conventional Wisdom Has Become Too PessimisticThe country is shutting now. But more testing should, in time, allow for more normal living.
  9. the top line
    Nobody Knows How Hard COVID-19 Will Hit the Economy — or Even Their Own CompanyWe are flying completely blind here.
  10. the top line
    The Federal Reserve Cut Rates to Zero, But Markets Aren’t That ImpressedThere are problems Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve can solve – and problems they cannot solve.
  13. coronavirus
    This Will Get WorseThe grim math of a coronavirus future.
  14. buyer's market
    U.S. Airlines Are Alarmed About a Coronavirus Slump — Some More Than OthersIt’s going to be a rough year for them, even in the more optimistic scenarios regarding the U.S. outbreak.
  15. intelligencer chats
    Is There Any End in Sight to Coronavirus’s Economic Carnage?A major recession isn’t inevitable, but continuing worldwide disruption is.
  16. coronavirus
    Coronavirus Is Imploding Global Financial MarketsAll kinds of indicators are flashing red, indicating that the disease will wreak major damage to the economy.
  17. the top line
    Here’s Why It Matters That Interest Rates Are CrateringDropping yields on safe, long-term bonds signal that the coronavirus may have a serious, negative, and persistent effect on the economy.
  18. buyer's market
    How Airlines Are Reacting to Coronavirus: Fewer Flights, More Flexible TermsAirlines are cutting down on the frequency of service on some major business routes, while easing off rebooking fees to attract flexible customers.
  19. the economy
    Economists Argue Over Whether Coronavirus Calls for a Fiscal StimulusThe answer largely depends on how long one expects the virus to disrupt supply chains.
  20. the top line
    Trump Is Right to Want Fed to Fight Coronavirus. But They Can’t Do That MuchA rate cut right now would be a good idea, which is why the markets expect one. But Trump has more important tools to work with.
  21. the top line
    Coronavirus Is Hitting Travel Companies Hard — But Nobody Knows How Hard, YetDeclining travel is both a symptom and a cause of broader economic problems.
  22. buyer's market
    So What Should I Do About Coronavirus Now?Besides just waiting.
  25. the top line
    Which Stocks Are Rising on Coronavirus Fears?The companies that bucked Monday’s 1,000-point Dow drop paint a bleak picture of what a coronavirus pandemic could mean for the global economy.
  26. the top line
    The Stock Market Is Plunging Because of Bigger Coronavirus FearsThe market is starting to price in two big concerns: supply-chain disruption and the chance of a global pandemic.
  27. the top line
    What Morgan Stanley Is Getting by Buying E-TradeThe lesson here for retail-brokerage clients is to figure out whether they are keeping too much money in cash.
  28. buyer's market
    Skiing Is More Expensive Than Ever, and Also Cheaper – If You Plan RightAs the ski industry has become more consolidated and more corporate, it has copied pricing strategies from the airline and hotel industries.
  29. intelligencer chats
    Are Markets Underrating the Coronavirus Threat?The outbreak has all but ground China to a halt, but so far the Western financial world isn’t panicking.
  30. air travel
    Tall Delta CEO Asks Passengers to Please Think of the Tall Before RecliningThere’s a button to recline your seat because that’s a thing you’re allowed to do; there’s no button to shake the seat in front of you.
  31. the top line
    Why Elon Musk Is Raising Billions in Cash for TeslaIf Musk’s instinct in 2018 was to buy shares when the price was low, it makes sense that Tesla is now selling stock when the price is high.
  32. buyer's market
    It’s Time to Get Rid of NYC’s Rental Broker Fees for GoodNew York City is expensive enough, and there are better ways to compensate real-estate agents.
  33. the top line
    Tesla Stock Is Way Up and Nobody Really Knows WhyThe price chart for Tesla shares has lately looked like a hockey stick. Are Elon Musk fans driving the action or is something else going on?
  34. the top line
    Paul Singer Wants to Save SoftBank From ItselfHow does one keep Masayoshi Son from squandering more of his billions on projects like WeWork?
  37. buyer's market
    How I Learned to Let Go of My Baggage — LiterallyThere are actually a lot of advantages to checking your luggage. And airlines have done their share to make it a better choice.
  38. the economy
    The Markets Don’t Know What to Make of Coronavirus YetThe volatility in the markets reflects uncertainty about how widespread the coronavirus outbreak will be, and how long it will last.
  39. the top line
    Here’s Why Wuhan Coronavirus Has U.S. Airlines Leaving ChinaFor a variety of political and practical reasons, all three of the major global U.S. airlines are suspending their flights to mainland China.
  40. the top line
    Why a Le Creuset Dutch Oven Is Worth Every PennyI love my Le Creuset pots and pans, and I guess I was an early adopter, since I bought my first one before Instagram existed.
  41. buyer's market
    Here Are Two Things Apple Is Doing RightThe stock has been going up — and the company’s latest report shows why investors were correct to be optimistic.
  42. the top line
    Why the Stock Market Is So Worried About CoronavirusHistory suggests that outbreaks like the one in China can have negative effects that go well beyond their death tolls.
  43. the top line
    Fixing the MTA Bureaucracy Has to Start at the Top: With Andrew CuomoThe mourning over Andy Byford’s departure highlights the agency’s dysfunction: New Yorkers want a savior rather than just a competent manager.
  44. the top line
    Why Away Has Named Two CEOs — and Why It Won’t WorkThe luggage-maker wants to project that founder Steph Korey is in charge — but also that she is not in charge. It’s not a recipe for success.
  45. netflix
    Netflix Beat Wall Street Forecasts. So Why Did Its Stock Fall?Intensifying competition in the U.S. and questions about cash flow raise existential questions for the streaming giant.
  46. new york times
    Should Newspaper Endorsements Exist?In the wake of the Times’ big reveal of its choice, Intelligencer staffers discuss whether this tradition makes any sense.
  49. business
    Does Trump’s New Trade Deal Really Accomplish Anything?Intelligencer staffers chat about the significance of the preliminary agreement between the United States and China.
  50. buyer's market
    When Buying in Bulk Is a MistakeSometimes stocking up can be a great investment — and sometimes a waste of money.
  51. the top line
    Wage Growth Is Unequal in This Economy — But Not in the Way We’ve Come to ExpectWorkers at the bottom end of the scale have been doing best for a change. What’s driving it?
  52. the top line
    Trump Admits China Isn’t a Currency ManipulatorThe essentially symbolic nature of this action fits with the essentially symbolic nature of the Phase One trade deal as a whole.
  53. the top line
    Casper Will Go Public, Offering the Latest New and Exciting Way to Lose MoneyDon’t call Casper a mattress company. Casper, which filed paperwork to go public on Friday, says it is “a pioneer of the Sleep Economy.”
  54. the top line
    Sad CEO Wants Tariffs That Hurt Other Businesses, Not His OwnHe has his reasons for making the argument he does. But the wider context is important: Overall, tariffs create more losers than winners.
  55. buyer's market
    The Secret to a Relaxing Vacation: Meticulous, Detailed PlansWhen it comes to travel, “going with the flow” is wildly overrated.
  56. transit
    Cuomo’s Penn Station Plan Is a Beautiful BoondoggleHe could save billions and improve New York’s rail service by finding a way to end the turf wars among the region’s transit agencies.
  57. the top line
    How Would War With Iran Affect the U.S. Economy?Oil-supply shocks are still harmful. But they’re not as harmful as they used to be, and that has major foreign-policy implications.
  58. the top line
    Maybe They Were Out to Get Carlos Ghosn. That Doesn’t Mean He Isn’t a Criminal.The former Nissan and Renault executive believes that Japan’s stated reasons for pursuing him are just a pretext. He could be right.
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