Fiscal drag, viral carousel, and another stalled week in U.S. recovery

U.S. hiring last week remained sluggish, retail foot traffic dipped, and a surge in coronavirus cases across the Upper Midwest even dented what had been a carefree rush back to restaurants.The outbreaks in states like South Dakota, Montana and Wisconsin are the latest in the country's carousel battle with the pandemic as hotspots rotate from one region to another, preventing any broad recovery of confidence or the economy.Since an early summer jump in U.S. economic activity, data across a broad