Economic data shows that the coronavirus crisis will be severe. To soften the blow, Trump announced his support plans for the economy. Will the stimulus package help? And when will gold finally rise? COVID-19 Hits the US Economy The global epidemic of COVID-19 has already hit the US economy. We start to see evidence how bad this crisis might be. First, retail sales dropped 0.5 percent in February. That's the biggest drop in a year. But it will change quickly - just think about the number in March or April! Second, the US consumer sentiment fell from 101 in February to 95.9 in March. Again, expect much worse readings ... (full story)