News From the Control Tower - 4/8/2020

This week's reads feature:

Kinks in the US supply chain for masks.

1. It’s Bedlam in the Mask Market, as Profiteers Out-Hustle Good Samaritans

As well as potential kinks for our farmers.

2. Farmworkers, Mostly Undocumented, Become ‘Essential’ During Pandemic - The New York Times

We’re also watching continuous legal changes with the CARES act, for example, changes to RMD rules this year;

3. RMD Deferrals Aren’t Retroactive. We Answer Your Questions About the Cares Act.

Looking to history to see how economies responded to past pandemics; and

4. When Plagues Pass, Labor Gets the Upper Hand

Economic policy suggestions from the International Monetary Fund. 

5. Economic Policies for the COVID-19 War – IMF Blog