The use of telehealth skyrocketed early in the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of remote office visits and outpatient services 78 times higher in April 2020 than in February 2020. Usage has stabilized since then, but as of early 2021 remained 38 times higher than the pre-pandemic level.1 More recent data indicates that remote health

-21% – Drop in smartphone prices during the 12 months that ended September 2022 — despite the high level of general inflation. Television prices fell 18% over the same period. Better yet, large retailers have reported bloated inventories of electronics and other consumer goods that are likely to result in attractive discounts for holiday shoppers.

65.4% – Percentage of U.S. adults ages 55 to 64 who were working as of May 2022, nearly the same rate as in February 2020 (65.5%) before the pandemic. The rate dropped during the summer of 2022 due to seasonal variation, but this represents a strong and unexpected rebound for this age group. Many economists

The U.S. stock market had a banner year in 2021, with the S&P 500 index up almost 27%. Unfortunately, stocks turned downward on the second trading day of 2022 and kept sliding into a bear market.1 Stocks in the S&P 500 are classified by 11 different business sectors, each of which responds differently to economic