There is not much good one can say about the coronavirus, but if one looks hard enough there are a few silver linings. One of which is the revival of the drive-in theater.

 

Cinemas have been closed for months, thanks to COVID-19, and are only now re-opening to limited audiences. In the meantime, consumers have been surviving on streaming movies and television series for entertainment. However, one bright spot for those who can take advantage of it has been the drive-in theater. 

 

It is well-suited for a country in pandemic, and ready made for social distancing. At many drive-ins, autos are parked at least 6 feet apart. Ticket-holders do not need to wear a mask as long as they stay in their cars. If you want snacks, your food is brought to you. In a society that is just aching for a night out, the drive-in offers family entertainment in a safe, responsible setting. What more could you want?

 

Usually, I'm not one for nostalgia, but I make an exception when it comes to drive-ins. The drive-in is a uniquely American invention first established in Camden, N.J., back in 1933. It was the brainchild of the manager of a sales parts store, Richard Hollingshead. Over the next three decades, the concept caught on, driven also by the invention of audio speaker technology for in-car use in 1941.

 

By the time I was 10 years old, back in 1958, drive-in theaters hit their peak with more than 4,000 locations in the U.S. Living in Pennsylvania, it became a staple of my family's weekend entertainment. In the Sixties, when I became old enough to drive, it was also my favorite date-night activity. It sparked some of my steamiest teen-age romances.

 

Since then, the number of drive-in theaters has dropped by 90 percent. A combination of factors caused the demise of my favorite pasttime. The VCR, DVDs, and finally the advent of streaming took over as consumers could increasingly watch the same movie entertainment from their couches at home. If you felt like going out, the invention of giant multiplexes in every shopping mall was an irresistible draw for shopping, dinner, and then a movie. Finally, rising land costs made selling properties for development much more profitable than charging tickets to dwindling crowds at the neighborhood drive-in.

 

Today, according to the United Drive-in Theatre Owners Association (UDITOA), there are only about 300 of these institutions left, with my home state, Pennsylvania, and New York sharing the top spots with 28 each. The fact that owners are showing the movies of yesteryear, like "Harry Potter," "Goonies," and "Jurassic Park" just adds to the nostalgia.

 

Could drive-ins, ex-pandemic (if there will be such a thing), still survive? Some companies are betting they could. Walmart, for example, intends to transform 160 of its car parks into drive-in theaters in partnership with Robert De Niro's Tribeca Enterprises. Drive-ins could provide a new use for America's brick and mortar mall space. Similar efforts are underway in South Korea and Germany where drive-ins have become popular. Drive-ins may have some good things going for them as well.

 

Indoor movie theaters, for example, could transform their parking lots into outdoor venues. Technology, in the form of FM and Bluetooth transmissions can easily convert into stereo sound through any car speaker system. In addition, today's high-quality HD and 4K movies would work well projected on the giant drive-in screens. 

 

From a marketing point of view, enterprising owners could bring back the double, or even triple features to moviegoers. Marathon movie nights might also be popular. Retro and nostalgia fans, as well as those too young to remember all the Harry Potter, Star Wars, or Indiana Jones movies, might be popular. 

 

I remember that at some point, drive-ins also featured live entertainment, bands, and even playgrounds and petting zoos. Who knows what the entrepreneurs of the future might come up with? The point is that times are changing and sometimes we might want to look to the past for answers to today's issues. I for one am hopeful that drive-ins do make a comeback. 

 

Remember those promises of how you were going to finish that deck, remodel the kitchen, or fix that faucet? Well, this year, many Americans finally stopped procrastinating. 

 

It appears that there is at least one silver lining in this pandemic: a boom in home improvements. Take my brother-in-law, for example. He lives in a Maryland suburb with his wife and extended family, which consists of three adult children, plus a bunch of grandchildren. Faced with working from home, the entire family embarked on a do-over to their back yard. During the last few months, they installed an above-ground pool, built a gazebo, and purchased outdoor patio furniture. Since then, the back yard has become the center for family recreation and entertainment.

 

Travel up the coast to my daughter's home on the Long Island Sound, where DJ "Ming," (who also happens to be my son-in-law, Aaron) converted the family's small guest house into his recording studio. He also built, with the help of my daughter and their young children, an outdoor vegetable garden, replaced the kitchen faucets, and re-wired and laid new internet cable throughout the house and his new studio.

 

These are just two examples of the do-it yourself frenzy that has occupied millions of Americans over the past several months. Is it any wonder that Home Depot just reported that their same-store sales have exploded, spiking 25 percent? Lowes reported similar results with comparable store sales surging 35 percent.

 

Families with time on their hands and stuck at home finally tackled those long-delayed, home improvement projects, either by themselves or by hiring contractors. Demand for hardware, paint, tools, lawns and garden goods, and treated lumber have gone through the roof. It seems that over the last few months, Americans spent their time hammering nails, according to a recent survey from Porch.com, a remodeling platform. Their findings indicated that three quarters of those surveyed said they had done some kind of home improvement project during the pandemic. Homeowners with time on their hands began to update or reconfigure both indoor and outdoor spaces for exercise, work, school and recreation. Underlying this trend is the assumption that the coronavirus may be with us for some time to come. 

 

In addition to home improvements, more employees are also working from home. Like me, they may have started working remotely on their kitchen counter or dining room table, but for most that has become unmanageable. As a result, the demand for home office space has also increased. 

 

Prior to the pandemic, less than half of all homes boasted a remote working space. And yet, a survey conducted by YouGov, in partnership with USA Today and LinkedIn, found that 74 percent of professionals age 18 to 74 said they were now working from home.  What most have discovered is that establishing a new home office is both time-consuming and expensive. Upgrading existing space, basement waterproofing, attic or bedroom refinishing, in addition to office furniture and the need to wire (or re-wire) and install internet cable, can break a budget very quickly.

 

Whether or not the home improvement phase subsides in the second half of the year will depend largely on the virus. During the winter months, the outdoor projects will most certainly taper off. But if home sales rebound (and they look like they may), then spending on remodeling, especially bathrooms and kitchens, may continue to gain for a few more months. 

 

Of course, the wild card is how long the pandemic will last, and what additional impact it will have on the overall economy and employment. Analysts expect that without a new stimulus bill to cushion the blow, most consumers will temper their spending overall, until they see which way the wind blows. If so, at least we can all take some satisfaction in a job well done.

 

 

On Aug. 15, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Chinese Premier Vice President Liu He, will be facing off once again; this time to review the Phase One trade deal inked on Feb. 15. Neither side is especially happy with progress so far.

 

From the U.S. point of view, China has not lived up to its agreement to buy $200 billion of U.S. goods over their 2017 purchasing level. Chinese imports of agricultural products are actually lower than the 2017 level, which is about half the level needed to meet their promised target of $36.5 billion. The energy purchases they promised have also fallen woefully short of their commitment. Only 5 percent of their $25.3 billion in promised purchases has actually happened.

 

From the Chinese point of view, the level of China-bashing that is going on as part of the election campaign from both parties is an on-going deterrent from honoring their agreement. In addition, the Chinese will argue that the world has changed since the February agreement. The collapse and rebound in oil prices, combined with the onset of the pandemic, has thoroughly upended trade relations not just between the U.S. and China but throughout the globe. 

 

The Chinese have a point, but my suspicion is that U.S. negotiators will be in no mood to forgive and forget (at least not publicly). Besides, we have bigger fish to fry at the moment. The Trump Administration continues to blame the coronavirus outbreak on the Chinese government, hinting that the outbreak might have been on purpose. While it is true that the virus originated in Wuhan, China, there is no evidence that the Chinese government was involved in its origination or spread. But facts have never stopped your president from voicing his opinions.

 

The security crackdown and new legislation by China on limiting Honk Kong democratic freedoms has also earned China condemnation and sanctions from both sides of the political aisle here at home. There has also been a tit-for-tat shutting of consulates in both countries as a result of U.S. accusations that the Chinese consulate in Houston was a hotbed of spying.  

 

But the latest flare-up involves TikTok, a Chinese-owned video platform loved by more than 50 percent of America's teens. ByteDance, the app's parent company, has been notified by the White House that it has 45 days to reach a deal to sell its U.S. business. This follows on the heels of a growing list of Chinese tech companies that have been blacklisted by the Trump Administration. These actions have created a furor across Asia and within China.

 

The Chinese accuse the United States of forcing a fire sale of TikTok by slapping on this a time limit, while arguing that America's growing tech war with China is violating international rules of trade. To make matters worse for the Chinese, U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, warned that "countless Chinese apps" may be in for similar treatment in the coming days. 

 

I believe that while China may have been willing to negotiate trade imbalances with the U.S. over the last four years, they have dug in their heels when it came to modifying intellectual property rights and technology transfers. The U.S.'s willingness to wait, and negotiate in good faith appears, at this juncture, to have been an unworkable strategy.  

 

I suspect that our newfound willingness to wage a tech war as a way of bringing China to the table, where serious discussions can begin in these areas, will not be taken lightly. While necessary, we should not expect China to simply lie down and take it. I expect a strong response in the immediate future, and so should you. Be prepared.

 

In the weeks ahead, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) wants your children to go back to school. They say it is necessary because children need schooling from a social, emotional, and behavioral health perspective. No one disputes that, so why are American parents balking at the idea?

 

The short answer is that they are afraid for their kids. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that kids in a classroom are "super spreaders" of virus. Just think of what happens during the Flu season each fall and winter 

 

Despite assurances from the CDC that death rates among school-age children are much lower than adults, they don't claim that no children will die if they go back in the classrooms. As such, parents are asked to play a percentage game. "What are the chances that my child will be the unlucky one and die because I decided to send them back to school to school?"

 

To make matters worse, the majority of Americans suspect they are not getting the true story when it comes to accurate statistics in regard to COVID-19. Between various reporting procedures among the various states, hospitals, and the federal government everything from double counting to underreporting is occurring.

 

School representatives across the nation also argue that they are ill-prepared, and do not have the funds to make their classrooms safe for students in a few short weeks. Thanks to the nation's less than robust response to the crisis, neither the funds nor the time to spend them is available for this school year.

 

The question to ask is, "why is the government, along with the business community, demanding schools reopen now, despite the accelerating rate of virus cases nationwide?" 

 

The elephant in the room no one wants to address concerns the labor force and the economy.

 

As it stands, millions of working parents with children cannot both go back to work. One or another of the parents must stay home and mind the kids, since there is no child care (and probably won't be) until a vaccine is developed and administered nationwide. That means the economy, with roughly half the labor force stuck at home, won't be able to recover anytime soon.

 

In addition, an on-going, struggling economy will mean many companies will face bankruptcy and those who survive will be forced to "right-size," which means cutting their labor force permanently. Some already are. That would further compound the economic situation and potentially push out any recovery to sometime next year, if then.

 

Schools, however, provide huge positive benefits for both children and parents. Few families today can get by on one income, so without re-opening classrooms, the economic well-being of many families could be dire. Keeping schools closed would also unduly harm low-income and minority children and those living with disabilities. These students are less likely to have access to private instruction and care. In many cases, they are more likely to rely on school-supported resources like food programs, special education and after-school programs as well.

 

Today, there are no good options for these struggling parents. They must weigh in their own minds and hearts and the risk and rewards for keeping their kids at home, or sending them back to school under these most trying of circumstances.  It is a terrible tragedy, and one with no solution. My heart goes out to all of you who must make this decision. 

 

Sometimes, investors are so focused on the trees that they miss the forest entirely. Take the U.S. dollar, for example. It has been declining at an alarming rate, yet no one seems to care.

 

Today, investors are occupied by a number of trees — earnings, stock prices, dividends, earnings results — that a weakening currency is almost an afterthought. Unfortunately, if the dollar continues to weaken, it could radically change your investment choices.

 

 Most readers, in general, believe a strong dollar reflects a strong economy. The fact that it makes our exports more expensive, and imports cheaper, is also true. A strong dollar, in the past, has also been a safe haven for overseas investors, who normally rush to buy the greenback when calamity threatens their own country.

 

There is also a relationship between the dollar, other currencies, and interest rates. If one country's sovereign debt is yielding more (or less) than another country's debt, then, all else being equal, investors will seek out and purchase the higher-yielding currency. That has been the case here in the U.S., where our higher yields have kept foreigners purchasing dollars in order to buy our bonds for the last several years.

 

The pandemic has changed that. The efforts by our Federal Reserve Bank to support the economy (by flooding the financial markets with money) has drastically reduced the difference in yield between America, Japan, and Europe. In addition, our deficit, as a result of all the tax cuts and spending throughout the Trump Administration, is starting to alarm investors around the globe. There is a fear that the Fed will need to print much more money (debase the currency) in order to fund the U.S. budget and deal with the enormous debt load we face.  

 

At the same time, all that stimulus money had led some investors to believe that inflation is a much more likely bet in the future. That is a problem, since inflation destroys the purchasing power of a currency. As prices of goods and services rise, it takes more and more dollars to purchase them. It is, for example, why gold and other precious metals, along with base metals like copper, have begun to increase in price this year.

 

There are also doubts growing about how "safe" the dollar really is. The fact that the country is in disarray and deeply divided has not been lost on both our allies and foes. It is common knowledge, except in some parts of this country, that the Trump administration not only failed miserably in dealing with the pandemic, but has taken the tactic of claiming that the pandemic is overblown and not to be taken seriously. For the first time in recent history, foreign countries are barring Americans from entering their countries.

 

Many on Wall Street see the dollar declining further. I believe they are correct. If it does, there are some obvious beneficiaries that investors may want to examine. I have already mentioned commodities, like gold, silver, platinum, and copper, that normally rise in price as the dollar declines. Many emerging market economies are also based on their abundant natural resources. They too would benefit greatly from a falling dollar. 

 

Oil normally would benefit as well, but I believe the price of oil will be held back by the pandemic in the months ahead. The demand for oil is correlated with mobility. Mobility worldwide, in the form of driving, flying, shipping, etc., has declined drastically due to the pandemic. In order for the oil price to rise, I believe, we need to beat the coronavirus first with a cure, or at least an effective vaccine. That may not be available until next year at the earliest.