A painful remembrance… Today marks four years since the WHO declared Covid a pandemic. The virus has killed millions of people globally and lockdowns ground economies to a halt. Recently the CDC said that people who test positive no longer need to isolate for five days. That update comes as Covid vaccine rates and test sales have plunged, and pandemic pharma players like Pfizer and Moderna have taken a hit from lower sales. While US economic growth is strong, China’s still struggling to rebound after zero-Covid restrictions.
Stockin’ up for T-ball szn… Dick’s Sporting Goods is at bat to report Thursday after scoring a record $3B in sales in Q3, though profit fell. America’s largest sporting-goods retailer benefited as more athletes stocked up on gear. Last month, Dick’s dropped a star-studded “Click on Dick’s” ad to boost awareness for its growing ecomm biz, which has been on the upswing since the pandemic. Dick’s boosted its annual earnings forecast, though it said holiday-quarter success is weather-dependent (pickleball isn’t great in a snowstorm).