Back in April when darkness was looking us straight in our eyes, I wrote this: 

“These are dark times. But even in dark times, we are preternaturally prepared to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We learned in human physiology class that the photoreceptors of the human eye can detect a single photon of light. While it may not be until nine or more photons hit the retina that we perceived dawn, we see before we can perceive. Likewise, if we are diligent, we will be able to identify the return of hope and light coming back into the American economy before it is perceived by all those poor masked souls around us.”

In many ways, the era of COVID-19 in America shifted society into a dimension outside of traditional time. Birthdays, anniversaries, and major holidays slip by without family gatherings or restaurant celebrations. Days working from home trudge by like weeks while whole seasons pass almost unnoticed. Is Halloween really just around the corner?

The fiscal calendar, a mainstay of marking economic activity has served little purpose in COVID America. Where it once provided a structure by which to analyze balance sheets and economic trends, in these virus-directed times, it has become a vestigial anomaly like the little toe or the appendix of the human body.  

In order to understand the economic performance of various sectors during these times, we need to abide by the dictates of the virus. For this reason, I divided 2020 into this economic-timeline into three phases: Before COVID (BC), After the onset of the Disease (AD), and America is Back (AB).