The COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities to reconsider how they deliver education, with most universities forced to quickly adopt online teaching models.

The EIU nowcast for the US economy in Q2 2020 weakened to -10.19% quarter-on-quarter versus the last print of -9.09% (during the last week of April), on account of the record level of job losses.

The EIU nowcast for the US economy for Q2 2020 weakened further to -13.80% (quarter-on-quarter) as of last week, versus -10.19% during the week ending May 8th.

China’s first quarter consumption numbers make for bleak reading. Amid the coronavirus epidemic, urban consumption expenditure fell by 9.5% year on year, down from a 7.5% expansion in 2019. Unsurprisingly, education, culture and recreation were the hardest hit sectors, with services that require a physical presence, not possible under lockdown measures, seeing the largest contractions.

The EIU nowcast for the US economy for Q2 2020 jumped to -11.48% (quarter-on-quarter) as of last week, compared with -15.60% during the week ending May 29th.

The EIU forecasts a 7% average contraction in the economies of western Europe in 2020. The depth of the recession will vary among countries depending on their coronavirus caseloads, and the length and severity of their lockdowns.

The EIU’s Global Forecasting team has constructed an index to rank the quality of the policy response to coronavirus across 21 OECD countries. In our new report, “How well have OECD countries responded to the coronavirus crisis?”, we examine which countries did best and worst during the pandemic given their initial risk factors.

The coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic is a game-changer for the global economy; 2020 and 2021 will be lost years in terms of growth. We only expect the global economy to recover to pre-coronavirus levels in 2022. China is an outlier, as its GDP will not contract this year.

In 2019, The Economist identified the “second phase of the internet”—the Internet of Things (IoT). Along with Artificial Intelligence and Big Data, IoT is at the centre of the digitalisation of the world economy.

From looking set to win a second presidential term at the start of the year, Donald Trump’s chances of re-election have taken a considerable blow in recent months. The coronavirus pandemic has ushered in the most serious economic recession since the 1930s and civil unrest over racial inequality and police brutality has further exposed Mr Trump’s divisive leadership style.