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July 3, 2020

Welcome to this edition of The Reader, a weekly roundup of Fortune stories and insights you need to know.

Coronavirus cases are soaring again, and the economy is expected to take a hit. States that were keen to reopen commerce, like Florida and Texas, are seeing the sharpest spike in cases. Experts say the economy now has "zero chance" of a V-shaped recovery. The pandemic has pushed many struggling companies over the edge, leading to a bankruptcy boom. Meanwhile, the federal government is considering a second round of stimulus checks—here's how much you might receive.

Read on for more stories. I hope you have a safe and healthy weekend.

Clifton Leaf

Editor-in-chief, Fortune

P.S. Please support independent, authoritative journalism and become a Premium member of Fortune. Thank you.

MUST READ

‘Zero chance’ of a ‘V’-shaped recovery as coronavirus cases soar again

"With a few notable exceptions, the reopening seems to have triggered an initial “V”-shaped recovery," say Bank of America economists in a report. "Unfortunately, the reopening has come at a cost: The virus is back."

BY LANCE LAMBERT

JULY 1, 2020

FINANCE

What you’d receive in a second stimulus check

A new “Second Stimulus Check Calculator”—the brainchild of two graduate students—can tell you.

BY REY MASHAYEKHI

JUNE 30, 2020

HEALTH

4 maps show how coronavirus cases are changing in your state

The patchiness of policies is evident in the changing map of where cases are spiking.

BY DANIEL BENTLEY AND NICOLAS RAPP

JUNE 29, 2020

STOCK MARKET

The best stocks of 2020 so far have made pandemic investors much richer

Surprisingly, Netflix doesn't make the cut.

BY JEN WIECZNER

JULY 1, 2020

MUST WATCH

The future of work: How to safely reopen the workplace

Fortune’s Kristen Bellstrom talks to industry executives about the challenge of reopening the workplace as the world continues to grapple with the ongoing pandemic.

JUNE 26, 2020

Here's a peek at Fortune Analytics, our exclusive newsletter for Premium subscribers that brings you weekly business insights based on timely data analysis by our editorial team and exclusive polling.

This week, we polled 1,276 people to learn where Americans stand on the bigness of Big Tech.

41%

... of U.S. adults are concerned about consolidation among tech firms. 37% aren't concerned, and 21% are undecided.

65%

... of U.S. adults would like to see at least one of America's big tech firms investigated by the federal government for antitrust violations.

48%

... of U.S. adults would like to see Facebook investigated for antitrust violations. Facebook had the highest percentage among the big five.

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More essential reads

What does Trump really think about more stimulus checks? by Rey Mashayekhi
A bipartisan coalition of senators want to limit sending military-grade equipment to police by Nicole Goodkind
U.S. unemployment rate fell in June to 11.1% as employers bring back more workers by Lance Lambert
Coronavirus telecommuters could face a tax nightmare by Jeff John Roberts

From the archives

“Normally when startups shut down, bankruptcy is pointless for a few reasons: With young software companies, there are usually no assets to reorganize. What’s more, venture backers and founders would rather not glorify their failure with an embarrassing public auction. And lastly, bankruptcy is expensive. If the company is truly out of money, who will pay for it? Not the venture backers – even if there are assets to liquidate, the equity holders would be last to get paid anyway.”

—Startups rarely file for bankruptcy. Could that change? by Erin Griffiths, April 2017