(Friday, August 14, 2020; 7:30 p.m. EST)  As if the coronavirus crisis never hit, retail sales, according to today's data from the U.S. Census Bureau, are back on track with their growth rate before the outbreak. 

CARES Act stimulus, in the form of $1200 checks, $600 weekly unemployment bonuses, and Small Business Administration transfers to businesses, fueled the V-shaped-and-then-some recovery.