Turning point: Nearly one in three American workers under 40 has thought about changing their occupation or field of work since the pandemic began, according to a Washington Post-Schar School poll, conducted July 6-21. About one in five workers overall has considered a professional shift, a signal that the pandemic has been a turning point for many, even those who did not contract the coronavirus. Read the full story.
Hoarding: Companies are sitting on a record amount of cash amid lingering uncertainty about disruptions from COVID-19, defying expectations earlier this year that a waning pandemic would unleash a spending spree, The Wall Street Journal reports. Cash and short-term investments on corporate balance sheets globally are at an all-time high of $6.84 trillion, according to data from S&P Global, extrapolated from second-quarter earnings reports. That is 45% higher than the average in the five years preceding the pandemic and a 2.6% increase from the previous quarter. Read the full story.
At the pump: The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline jumped 3 cents over the past three weeks, to $3.25 per gallon. Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey said Sunday that gas prices could stop climbing now that crude oil costs have started to fall. The price at the pump is a dollar higher than it was a year ago. Nationwide, the highest average price for regular-grade gas is in the San Francisco Bay Area, at $4.50 per gallon. The lowest average is in Baton Rouge at $2.74 per gallon. Read the full report.
On the delta front …
• The ongoing surge in coronavirus cases could reverse or stall the country’s economic recovery gains from the past several months. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Here’s what to do if you lose your vaccine card. (The Daily Advertiser)
• The director of the National Institutes of Health said Sunday that the U.S. could decide soon whether to offer coronavirus booster shots to all Americans this fall. (AP)
