Welcome back to a new edition of the Weekender – we hope you’re having a great week. We kicked off this week celebrating the first day of spring and temperatures around the country were generally higher this year. Women around the nation were also celebrated this week (and every week in March) as this month is Women’s History Month. In order to shape our future, we must remember and learn from our past. We’re reflecting on four historic events in women’s history that helped shape women entrepreneurs today. Strap in as we cover this topic and more.
THE BIG FIVE
Biden doubles his 100 days promise to 200 million shots. About 2.5 million Covid-19 vaccines per day are now reaching the arms of Americans, setting the U.S. on track to reaching 200 million shots by April 30th – the 100th day of Biden’s presidency. With the initial goal of 100 million shots in his first 100 days already reached and surpassed, the Biden administration is taking that momentum to overdrive as it works to set its sights on beating the pandemic before any other country does. . Now, with three vaccine options on the market (Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, and Moderna), over a quarter of Americans have been partially vaccinated and 14 percent have been fully vaccinated. President Biden’s ability to turn his Covid-19 roadmap into fruition is sure to help set the course for the rest of his agenda and act as its own shot to the arm for his policy changes. Read more in Axios
Shipwrecked and shipping losses in the Suez Canal. As if the global trade market hasn’t already taken a hit from the past 12 months – this week brought unusual circumstances to one of the world’s most critical shipping routes. Egypt’s Suez Canal is now at the center of online attention as the Ever Given, a ship the size of a skyscraper, found itself lodged into the side of the canal, blocking all traffic coming in and out. Officials scramble to find any sort of solution to get the ship freed as more than 150 vessels are waiting in line to get through. This isn’t just another viral moment online – it’s much more meaningful than that as global trade has continued to face challenges with supply ever since the start of the pandemic. The canal has a direct impact on that same supply chain – and “blocking something like the Suez Canal really sets in motion a number of dominos toppling each other over.” Read more in Associated Press
Facebook’s Clubhouse rival looking a lot like Clubhouse. If you looked around at the state of social media platforms recently, you may have seen – or heard – a new trend. The audio app Clubhouse has taken on a new market as users look for new and unique ways to connect with fellow humans online. The app’s future remains uncertain, but its growth has caused enough attention to get the rest of Big Tech up to speed. Facebook, which was already known to be developing its own version, appears to be making a very similar experience but one fully integrated into the Facebook app. Regardless of whether the app continues to have legs is unknown, but it’s coming through loud and clear that live audio is here to stay.Read more on TechCrunch
U.S. job claims reach the lowest level of the pandemic. For the first time since the pandemic started, U.S. weekly jobless claims are below the 700,000 mark. Last week, claims totaled 684,000: a substantial decline from 781,000 just the week prior. With stimulus checks hitting bank accounts and vaccines reaching the arms of Americans, last week’s progress shows that the economy is gaining traction. Looking back on the past year, jobless claims and unemployment filings hit record highs each reaching into the tens of millions at their peak. As a return to normal is in sight, it is important to learn from what the economy has weathered in order to move forward. Read more on CNBC
Women’s History Month and four moments that changed history. Each day, women everywhere inch closer to leveling the playing field across all facets of life, especially in the workplace. Thanks to generations of strong, fearless women, new and future generations have a long history of examples to follow and shoes to fill. It was Girl Scouts of America founder Juliette Cordon Low who encouraged girls to embrace their intelligence and make the world a better place. The 19th Amendment and the Equal Pay Act both granting women rights at the ballot box and in the workplace. In 1983, astronaut Sally Ride became the first woman to go to space, showing young girls in science and engineering that the sky is the limit in everything they can do. These milestones – and many more – lay the groundwork for future female trailblazers to make herstory of their own. Read more in Inc.
DATA POINTS
- 229,000. The number of travel app downloads per day in the U.S., compared to only 18,000 news app downloads.
- 443 million. The amount of paid music streaming subscriptions worldwide in 2020, up from a mere 8 million just a decade earlier in 2010.
- 4%. The decrease in national energy usage in 2020. Twenty two states in total saw a decline during the pandemic year.
- 62%. The percentage of U.S. college students who plan to save or invest their stimulus checks. Forty four percent report their checks will be going towards essentials while 27% plan to pay off debt.
- 136.6 million. The amount of PC monitor shipments worldwide last year. This spike in sales was led by millions of white-collar workers and students forced to work, learn, and study from home over the past twelve months.
- $1.7 trillion. The total amount Americans owe in student loan debt. That sum is owed by 45 million borrowers. Student loan debt is the nation’s second highest consumer debt category after mortgage.
- 105 hours/week. The average work week of a first-year investment analyst at Goldman Sachs. Junior employees at Goldman Sachs reported getting an average of five hours of sleep each night.
- 684,000. The amount of U.S. jobless claims filed last week, which is the lowest level of the pandemic so far as more signs of the economy ramping up emerge.
- 52%. The number of Americans who reported seeing friends and relatives outside the home over the past weeks as more vaccines are getting put in the arms of Americans.
TWEET
The huge ship stuck in the Suez Canal is visible from space (satellite photos) https://t.co/ezeSibO6pZ pic.twitter.com/DKUMzeRFln
— SPACE.com (@SPACEdotcom) March 26, 2021
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Have a great weekend. See you next week.
