Today, I'd like to provide an update on the coronavirus, including the economic and market implications. This week, we had some mixed news on the medical front. Although the pandemic remains under control, case counts have started to rise again, as post-Labor Day infections begin to register and as schools and universities reopen. Still, case growth remains well below July and August levels, and the positive test rate has continued to decline and is now around the recommended 5 percent level.

August was a very good month for the markets. The Nasdaq and S&P 500 reached new highs, and investors continued to move back into the markets. We also saw infection numbers decline, and the economic recovery started to regain strength. Consumer confidence looks to have bottomed, and wage growth has ticked up again, supporting spending growth.

Today, I'd like to give an update on the coronavirus, including the effects on the economy and markets. On the pandemic front, we’ve had some good news. Case growth is down significantly, and the case growth rate is below the lows seen in mid-June. Further, outbreaks in most states have been contained, although there are emerging worries in the Midwest. Testing does remain a weak spot, as the number of tests has trended down and the positive rate remains well above what it should be. Nonetheless, the big picture is that, for the moment, the pandemic is under control.

Today, I'd like to provide an update on the coronavirus, including the effects on the economy and markets. We had some good news on the pandemic front this week, with the virus now back under control. Nationally, the daily spread rate is down to around 1 percent per day, and the daily number of new cases has held steady at about 55,000. Plus, the data shows that outbreaks are being contained in most states. One area of concern is testing. The number of tests has trended down over the past two weeks, and the positive rate remains well above what it should be.

Overall, July was a good month for the markets. As the month began, we saw strong job gains, declining layoff numbers, and rising consumer confidence and spending. Markets rose on this good news. But then infection counts went up, leading to state-level closures. This shift hit hiring and confidence, slowing the recovery. As a result, several market indices declined from their midmonth levels.

Today, let's take a look at where we are in the coronavirus crisis, including the economic and market implications. On the pandemic front, we had some good news this week. At the state level, case growth in most of the worst affected states appeared to have peaked. Nationally, the number of new cases was about 70,000 (almost the same as last week), and the daily spread rate improved from just under 2 percent to 1.5 percent per day. Overall, the national risks remain under control, and the possibility of another national shutdown is very unlikely.

Today, I'd like to discuss the coronavirus, including its implications for the economy and markets. On the pandemic front, this week was much the same as last week. Nationally, the number of new cases per day held at just above 70,000, and the daily spread rate has been below 2 percent per day for the past five days. These numbers are still too high, but they’re not getting worse. This is good news, as stabilization represents real progress.

Today, I'd like to provide an update on the coronavirus, including its effect on the economy and markets. On the medical front, it was another bad week. The viral outbreaks continued to get worse, with several health care systems getting close to capacity. So far, however, most of the damage remains localized. And with affected states starting to impose restrictive measures, we’ve started to move in the right direction, and the likelihood of another national shutdown remains small.

Today, I'd like to provide an update on the coronavirus, including the economic and market implications. It was another bad week on the medical front. The viral outbreaks in several states continued to get worse, with some health care systems reaching capacity. Further, new cases at the national level broke 60,000 per day for the first time, and the daily spread rate reached 2 percent per day. Although the risks are rising, the affected states have started to impose the needed restrictive measures, and the public has begun to modify its behavior. As such, we can reasonably expect these outbreaks to peak and then decline in the next couple of weeks.

The rest of 2020 will be all about the virus. We’re seeing localized outbreaks, but the necessary countermeasures are in place. So, we can reasonably expect the virus to remain under control. Despite the medical setbacks, millions of jobs have returned, along with consumer confidence and spending. The recovery remains on track and is likely to continue. And that's exactly what the markets are expecting.