Our Head & Heart… Today!

In this week’s newsletter we are celebrating Earth Day, officially commemorated this past Thursday, April 22nd. We encourage you to take a look at the different resources we are sharing in our both “Head” and “Heart” sections. From past podcast episodes about impact investing to a poem written and recited by National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, to the latest trends on global energy investments, we hope you find the information valuable and relevant.

Where’s our Head?

On the Economy

• The new unemployment initial claims filed for the week ending on April 17^th fell to  547,000. This is a decrease of 39,000 from the previous week and the lowest point since the pandemic started.
• To better understand the current levels of unemployment across different population groups, the graph below shows the percent decreased in employment from before the pandemic. The background lines represent the percentage that decreased back in April 2020 and the front lines represent the current one across different demographics. 

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

• Still looking for a clearer read of what is included in President Biden’s infrastructure plan a month after it was announced? Here’s a useful explainer by Vox.com.

On the Markets

• Stephanie Link and Joseph Klein of the Investment team from our strategic partner Hightower, summarized last week’s most relevant news on the markets. Take a read here: Weekly  Wisdom April 21st, 2021

Earth Day Related Content

Below are a number of key trends that might help provide context about the evolution of the global energy transition over the last decade.

• Wondering which countries are investing heavily in energy transition investments. Here’s a graph by the World Economic Forum showing the leaders from 2016 – 2020 ($ billion).

• You can read the latest report by the World Economic Forum on Energy Transition here.

Where’s our Heart?

On COVID-19

• The United States crossed 570,000 deaths from COVID-19 today since the pandemic started according to John Hopkins University. If you or someone you know are going through grief, please do not hesitate to reach out. We are here for you.  Also, below are some resources available you might find useful:
  • CDC Grief & Loss Resources
  • Support for Teens & Young Adults
• The overall rate of new cases declined by 6% nationally in the 14-day average. States restrictions continue to change week by week. Learn the latest on your state here.

On Vaccine Distribution

• As of 04/23/21 the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced that 135,719,031 people have received either the 1^st or 2^nd dose the vaccine, and 218,947,643 doses have been admininistered from the 282,183,915 distributed overall. 

• With the J&J’s vaccine currently paused (as of 4/23/21), here’s a distribution of what type of vaccines have been administered nationwide as of 4/23/21 according to the CDC.

• When would we reach herd immunity? The graph below shows the latest projection based on the current pace of first doses administered.  Between 70% – 90% would be considered enough for herd immunity.

• Wondering what you can and can’t do once you have been vaccinated? Here’s an article that might help you navigate those decisions: What You Can and Can’t Do if You’ve Been Vaccinated: Travel, Gatherings, Risk Factors, What You Need to Know  
• Not all regions in the world have access to the vaccines. The graph below shows the current rate of vaccination across the globe by region.

• Also, other vaccine companies have shifted in their research and production stages worldwide.  Here’s the official World Health Organization vaccines’ stage information.

Vaccine Tracker

Earth Day Related Content