There’s not a lot of good news when it comes to the pandemic, but amidst the mammoth unemployment numbers and precipitous drop in GDP, there are still some economic silver linings as a result of the crisis.
While most folks are not up for ride sharing (since it can lead to “virus sharing”) these days, the increased demand for delivery has made Uber’s delivery business larger than its ride sharing division according to TechCrunch. It’s become one of the many great ways to make money during COVID-19.
And speaking of delivery UPS is planning to impose surcharges this fall and winter due to rising costs associated with increased online shopping due to coronavirus. Whether retailers end up passing those additional costs onto their customers remains to be seen reports CNN Business.
Dish Network has seen a positive impact of COVID-19 in slowing service cancellations as subscribers stuck at home are not quite as eager to cut the cord per this Variety article.
Jalopnik posted a piece on how Toyota has managed to make a second quarter profit during the pandemic:
Although all the world’s automakers have been hurt badly by the outbreak, Toyota managed to stay in the black for the quarter, highlighting the resilience of the manufacturer of the Corolla subcompact, Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models.
Japanese rivals, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., as well as Detroit-based General Motors Co. slid into red ink in the latest quarter.
Toyota is projecting a 730 billion yen ($6.9 billion) profit for the fiscal year through March 2021, down 64% from the previous fiscal year.
From the Associated Press
Health insurers are also benefiting from the pandemic, but their big profits may mean millions of dollars in rebates for consumers according to The New York Times.
And finally, here’s a little bit of awesome from principal Quentin Lee who recorded his COVID version of “U Can’t Touch This” for students returning to the classroom.