Economic indicators

Initial jobless claims continued to slide, but remain above the 3 million mark, as an expected ugly unemployment report is on deck.

The Federal Reserve has been proactive and the secondary market could be next up for assistance.

Chicago Fed president said there is no reason to raise rates "anytime soon."

The impact of COVID-19 is still ripping through the economy as the Institute for Supply Management-New York index fell to a new low of 4.3 in April and factory orders slumped 10.3% in March.

Issuance in the public finance sector is likely to contract in 2020, S&P Research says.

Thursday’s jobless claims at 3.839 million, weaker income and spending data show COVID-19 continues to dampen economic activity.

Pessimism about the economic situation in the United States continues to affect the way consumers view the economy and their financial position.

The Commerce Department reported that new orders for manufactured durable goods fell 14.4% in March while the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index dropped to 71.8 in April, the largest monthly decline on record.

While the number of people filing for unemployment dropped to 4.4 million, there are now 26 million Americans without work and economists expect the unemployment rate to hit 20%.

Existing home sales fell 8.5% last month as the Philadelphia Fed said its indexes fell to record lows in April.