# Weekend reads: looking ahead to the next pandemic

Target gets ready for shoppers to resume pre-pandemic habits

Tonya Garcia covers the retail industry and sees expectations of a significant release in untapped demand later this year as consumers get over their fear of crowds.

Tech stocks have been weak — will individual investors back off?

We’re a year into the bull market that began last March after U.S. stocks hit their pandemic lows. One important driver of the market’s recovery and growth has been a surge in participation by individual investors. Boredom may have been a factor, as people stuck at home turned to the stock market for a thrill ride. But now the U.S. economy is opening up.

In light of the recent weakness for technology stocks, William Watts considers whether or not a return to normal life may put a damper on individuals’ enthusiasm for trading and investing.

Related: Is your portfolio ready for bad times ahead?

Retiring where everything is just right

Silvia Ascarelli helps a couple that wishes to retire in five years to a place with low expenses, low humidity and a narrow range of mild temperatures all year long. This may seem impossible, but here are three possible locations.

You can read more articles on where to retire here. Or try the MarketWatch “where should I retire” tool for your own customized search.

You may have missed this in all the stimulus news

Part of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package President Joe Biden signed into law on March 11 provides relief to many people who buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. That’s good news for those who retire early — that is, before the age of 65, when they are eligible for Medicare.

Sign up for MarketWatch’s crypto conference

MarketWatch will hold a two-day event featuring many cryptocurrency industry experts. The event will be held April 7 and 13 and you can register here.

More about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies from Mark DeCambre:

• ‘Bitcoin could be next domino to fall as investors rush to book profit’ says technical analyst

• Bitcoin could become ‘outlawed the way gold was outlawed’ in 1934, speculates Bridgewater’s Dalio

Intel’s big move

Shares of Intel Corp.
INTC,
+4.60%
have climbed 25% this year as investors have shown their enthusiasm for CEO Pat Gelsinger, whose return to the company was announced on Jan. 13, effective Feb. 15. Therese Poletti explains Gelsinger’s surprising new strategy that he announced this week.

Tax evasion and the monstrous federal deficit

Government stimulus spending, tax cuts and the revenue decline brought about by the pandemic have led the Congressional Budget Office to estimate a $2.3 trillion federal budget deficit for 2021. That would be a $900 billion improvement over 2020.

But Andrew Keshner explains how the government can cut the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars: give the Internal Revenue Service the budget it needs to catch the ‘substantial’ tax evasion by the wealthiest Americans.

ESG investors should think about farming

A major concern for investors and money managers taking an ESG approach (environmental, social and governance) is climate change, and that usually means thinking about how the energy industry needs to continue to move toward lower-emission, sustainable power sources. But farming also produces greenhouse emissions. Debbie Carlson lists seven ways for ESG investors to profit from sustainable agriculture.

More ESG — build a better board of directors

Having a talented board of directors that can look forward and think outside the box is important for everyone involved with a company, including its shareholders. Michael Brush shares fascinating statistics about how a diverse board of directors can give investors an “edge” and names six companies that “fit the bill.”

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