One month into the biggest global bailout of small businesses in history, countries have started to adjust their initial programs to make them more effective. Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 90 percent of businesses and a majority of employment opportunities across the world. Even during non-crisis times, many SMEs face constraints in accessing financing. Governments are working to provide exceptional support during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to prevent bankruptcies, unemployment, and a deeper recession.

Governments around the world have committed many billions of dollars to help the aviation sector survive the COVID-19 crisis. This aid comes in the form of grants, loans, loan guarantees, tax relief, and other subsidies. Some programs are targeted at specific firms and others provide broad-based support. The US is implementing what it expects to be the largest targeted package for the industry. Singapore's program appears to be the second most generous. 

Last week, hundreds of remote spectators watched student entrepreneurs pitch their ventures as part of the first ever virtual Startup Yale. Startup Yale hosted five individual prizes taking place between 16 - 17 April 2020, that saw student founders from across campus compete for cash prizes...

After the COVID-19 crisis began, the Federal Reserve quickly announced a number of emergency lending facilities, largely based on programs it first introduced during the Global Financial Crisis of 2007-09 (GFC). These programs have varied in size and speed of implementation. Bank reserve balances at the Fed have reached a historic high in recent weeks, exceeding $3 trillion for the first time, suggesting banks could lend much more.

This post discusses the early use of the following Fed lending programs: (1) primary credit through the discount window, (2) central bank swap lines and FIMA repos, (3) the Money Market Mutual Fund Liquidity Facility (MMLF), (4) the Primary Dealer Credit Facility (PDCF), and (5) the Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF).