COVID

We Woke Up on March 11, 2020, and...

365 days ago, Americans were confronted with a series of headlines that seemed to be lifted from a sci-fi novel: the NBA was suspended, Tom Hanks announced he had Covid-19 (we were still adding the -19 back then), and the WHO declared the novel coronavirus a global pandemic. 

It’s been a long year. Here are some of the most important numbers across business, the economy, and public health to put things in perspective.

Health: Nearly 118 million people globally fell ill with the coronavirus, and 2.6 million people have died. In the US, almost 528,000 people have died due to Covid; a year ago today, the US death toll was 38.

Vaccines: More than 321 million vaccine doses have been administered in 118 countries. 1 in 4 adults in the US have now received their first vaccine dose, per the White House.

Stimulus: Including the latest stimulus bill, DC will have spent more than $5 trillion on emergency aid for Americans over the past year. For reference, Obama’s stimulus package following the Great Recession was $840 billion.

Jobs: Despite adding 379,000 jobs last month, the US economy is down 9.5 million jobs from pre-pandemic levels in February 2020. Some companies hired like crazy, though—Amazon was bringing on an average of 1,400 new workers a day last year. 

Stocks: The S&P 500 has climbed more than 50% in a year, and the Nasdaq, which is focused on tech companies, has jumped more than 75%. Stocks that were primed for at-home life soared (Etsy +368%), while those that weren’t...still soared (Norwegian Cruise Line +206%).

Businesses: Loads of new businesses emerged from the pandemic wreckage—487,577 to be exact, says Yelp. That number is only down 14% year-over-year. 

Looking ahead...tonight, Biden will deliver his first prime-time address to the country to mark the occasion.

GAMING

No Roadblocks for Roblox

Roblox, an online multiplayer video game platform, popped 7.75% in its public debut yesterday to close with a market cap of $38 billion. 

The backstory: Roblox is a free platform that allows players to create their own mini games. For example, one user might construct an obstacle course that another can attempt to complete, or a performer could host a concert like Lil Nas X did last November.

Kids love it

With an estimated 199 million monthly active users as of January, more than half of which are under the age of 13, the game is more popular with the youths than saying “yeet” for no reason. 

• It’s also been minting money. Roblox generated $923.9 million in revenue last year, primarily through the sale of virtual in-game currency called “Robux.” And although it has yet to turn a profit, the company expects to rake in between $1.44 billion and $1.52 billion in 2021 revenue. 

Bottom line: Roblox went public via direct listing, a stiff-arm to the traditional IPO process and its hefty investment banking fees. This method ensures that company shareholders themselves, not investment banks, capture more of the stock’s gains.

ECONOMY

What a Relief Package

Yesterday, the House followed the Senate’s lead and passed President Biden’s enormous $1.9 trillion Covid relief package. He’s expected to sign it into law tomorrow. 

As we wrote earlier this week, this bill is more focused on giving money to governments and individuals rather than businesses. But it does provide billions in relief to some struggling sectors, including...

Restaurants: The bill contains a $28.6 billion “revitalization fund” that will dole out grants to cover pandemic-related revenue shortfalls. Lobbyists for the sector say it’s lost $255 billion during the social distancing era. 

Event venues: They received $1.25 billion in grant money, on top of the $15 billion the live entertainment industry secured in the stimulus package approved in December. The “Save Our Stages” campaign rallied support from lawmakers and high-profile artists, pointing out that you can’t sell a takeout concert.

Airlines: American Airlines told 13,000 employees who had received furlough notices to "tear them up" following the passage of the bill, which provides more funding for the Payroll Support Program.

Zoom out: Other businesses like gym operators were miffed they were left out of this round of support, arguing they were subject to the same restrictions as restaurants and entertainment venues. 

SPONSORED BY POLICYGENIUS

If You Just Woke Up, Get Back in Bed

Or at least make sure you’re sitting down, because do we have a financial doosie to drop on you: Depending on your age, every year you wait to buy life insurance, you add between 4.5% and 9.2% to your premium every year. 

You could watch that moolah unnecessarily move its way out of your wallet, or you could use Policygenius to get covered right now.

Policygenius makes it easy to compare quotes from dozens of top insurers, saving you 50% or more on life insurance. 

Their licensed experts work for you, not for insurance companies. Let them help you get life insurance coverage for less here.

GRAB BAG

Key Performance Indicators

Stat: Searches for “fully vaccinated travel” jumped 750% and “CDC guidelines for travel” spiked 650% on Tuesday, per Google Trends. You can see where everyone’s going on the map above.

Quote: "It is never a good idea to invest in a SPAC just because someone famous sponsors or invests in it or says it is a good investment.”

The SEC warned investors about celebrity-backed SPACs, saying that just because a famous person endorses it, it’s not necessarily good for you. Wish we woulda known that before ordering that oil diffuser made of Swarovski crystals...

Read: Open up a time capsule by reading our newsletter from March 12, 2020, which recapped all the craziness of the previous day. (Morning Brew)

ENERGY

Fukushima, a Decade Later

Covid isn’t the only anniversary we’re remembering today. 10 years ago, the largest earthquake in Japan’s recorded history (9.0 magnitude) unleashed a massive tsunami. That tsunami flooded a generator that powered a cooling system at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, causing three reactors to melt down. 

What happened next: the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986. More than 22,000 people died or went missing, and about 150,000 had to be evacuated. 

What it means now: Japan, which is the world’s third-largest economy and is committed to significant emissions reductions, is highly uneasy about nuclear energy. 

• The government recently offered incentives to any towns that were willing to study hosting nuclear waste. Only two (out of about 1,700) took them up on it, and the home of the mayor of one of those towns was targeted by a Molotov cocktail. 

Zoom out: Some of that uneasiness around nuclear energy has spread to other countries since the disaster, including Germany. But other countries, including the US, France, and the UK, are more willing to consider it as a zero-emissions energy source. 

WHAT ELSE IS BREWING

• GE’s big makeover continues. It’s merging its aircraft leasing business with Ireland’s AerCap in a deal worth over $30 billion.
• Goldman Sachs pledged $10 billion over 10 years to support Black women.
• McKinsey has selected Bob Sternfels as its new global managing partner. Sternfels will be tasked with restoring the consulting firm’s health following multiple PR bruisings.
• Warren Buffett’s net worth hit $100 billion.
• Lego sales boomed 21% last year.

BREW'S BETS

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Demystifying algorithms: Emerging Tech Brew is running a fantastic series that goes behind-the-scenes on mysterious algorithms. Check out the latest installment about credit card fraud models.

Morning Brew mini: That’s exactly what you think it is—we’re trying out Morning Brew mini crosswords. Try the first one here.

The next Bill Nye: If you a) feel like giggling and/or b) don’t understand how the mRNA vaccines for Covid-19 work, watch this TikTok. 

^{*This is sponsored advertising content}

FROM THE CREW

Brew's Bookshelf

Every other Thursday, Brew’s Bookshelf brings you a few of our favorite, business-related reads. In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re sharing some stories about women who rose to the top of the corporate world.

• In Own It, Ellevest CEO Sallie Krawcheck reflects on a career with plenty of ups and downs to share her advice for succeeding in business and building financial security. 
• Melinda Gates’s The Moment of Lift recounts her experiences at Microsoft and in the public health sector to show why lifting up women benefits everyone.
• What I Told My Daughter by Nina Tassler is a collection of advice from prominent women in government, entertainment, business, and culture.

GAMES

Three Headlines and a Lie

Like a teenager trying to dupe their parents, our headline quiz effortlessly combines facts with fibs. Three of these headlines are real, but one is made up. Can you spot the fake? 

1. "Trader buys $36 million of copper and gets painted rocks instead"
2. "Lost volleyball officially becomes the fastest uncrewed vessel to cross Pacific Ocean"
3. "Covid-19 inspires 1,200 new German words, like 'Gesichtskondom,' or 'Face Condom'"
4. "A Brazilian entrepreneur is crafting bikinis out of tape to give customers perfect tan lines"

ANSWER

We made up the volleyball one. 

✢ A Note From Policygenius

4.5%-9.2% increase each year: Policygenius calculated the average annual increase in cost for non-smoking men and women in their 30s (4.5% increase), 40s (7.8% increase), and 50s (9.2% increase) with Preferred health ratings for a $1M, 20-year term life insurance policy in all states with each of the 11 carriers that offer policies through the Policygenius marketplace. Calculation is based on a composite of policies from AIG, Banner, Brighthouse, Lincoln, Mutual of Omaha, Pacific Life, Principal, Protective, Prudential, SBLI, and Transamerica and may vary by carrier, term, coverage amount, health class, and state. Not all policies are available in all states. Rate illustration valid as of 9/22/2020.