As vaccines continue to be administered the end of the pandemic appears to be at hand. People are resuming normal lives and pent up demand is being unleashed. Consumers are looking forward to a summer filled with travel and congregation with family and friends. Even the Fed is noticing the brighter outlook. The world is opening back up but it probably won’t ever be the same as it was before the Pandemic.
It’s hard to believe that we’re approaching a year since the US economy shut down due to COVID. Vaccines continue to roll out though and people are ready to have fun. Strong demand is putting pressure on COVID-impacted supply chains and potentially creating inflationary forces.
Succinct Summary: The economy continues its two speed recovery, but there are some signs that growth may be slowing. Even companies that benefitted from the pandemic, like Netflix, are seeing the after-effect of demand that was pulled forward to earlier in the year. Elections will be a key source of uncertainty in the coming weeks. And COVID infections are stubbornly high. But consumers are going crazy at home.
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