Jim Zarroli

While much of the country is mired in economic hardship, a small group has emerged richer. They've benefited from a buoyant stock market and tax code changes that have favored the wealthy.

Investors were hoping that the worst of the pandemic was behind them. But the latest evidence suggests a rebound is still some ways off.

Major stock indexes bounce back a day after the Dow lost 1,861 points amid spikes in new cases in states that had reopened their economies.

In one of the worst one-day point drops in history, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell close to 7% Thursday. The plunge comes amid reports of a second wave of coronavirus cases in Sunbelt states.

The Dow and other stock indexes plunged as cases surged in several states and the Federal Reserve warned that the pandemic "will weigh heavily on economic activity."

Companies can borrow money from the Federal Reserve under its new lending programs. It's been good for the stock market, but the central bank's effort to help the economy has had lopsided results.

The Federal Reserve has taken unprecedented actions to prop up the economy by flooding the U.S. with trillions of dollars. But that does not necessarily mean the money is going to the right places.

Even as millions are out of work, the stock market has regained much of the ground it lost since March. Investors are peering into the future and seeing an economy that's beginning to recover.

Trevon Ellis spent years building up his Minneapolis barbershop, luring customers with smart haircuts, snacks and friendly conversation. It took just one terrible night to destroy it all.

The pandemic has sent tax revenues falling off a cliff, leaving American cities and towns losing more and more money and forcing them to cut services and lay off workers.

Governors around the country have begun slowly allowing stores, restaurants and malls to serve customers again. But it won't count for much if people are afraid to venture out.

Nearly 3 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week, the Labor Department says. It's the latest grim sign of the economic damage from the coronavirus crisis.

The state of the jobs market has Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell concerned. The coronavirus pandemic has triggered the largest job losses since the Great Depression.

NPR's business correspondent takes listener questions on the state of the U.S. economy and unemployment.

Another 3.2 million people filed for benefits, bringing the total number of jobs lost during the pandemic to 33.5 million. The government is expected to report a huge jump in unemployment Friday.

The number of people who have filed first-time claims for unemployment is updated Thursday. And on Friday, the government releases the April unemployment report.

Around 30 million people have applied for unemployment benefits since mid-March, and state unemployment funds are struggling to keep up with the flood of claims.

Tracy Delphia has been told she will be called back to work as soon as business conditions improve — whenever that is. Her biggest concern is her ability to pay the mortgage.

Not-so-small companies like Shake Shack and organizations like the LA Lakers were able to get loans that were meant for suffering small businesses. What happened?

Worries about liability are keeping some businesses from re-opening: If an employee or a customer contracts COVID-19, can they sue the business?