Samsung aims to lift its sinking smartphone sales with three new models that will test consumer willingness to buy high-priced gadgets during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Such phones are intended for buyers who are strapped for cash or unwilling to pay for pricey phones that don't offer big advances over their predecessors. The upcoming foldable phone, meanwhile, is something of a do-over for Samsung. Samsung is promises that the Z Fold2 will far more durable because it will have ultra-thin glass and tougher hinges for unfolding the device. Consumer response to these phones might foreshadow demand for the next wave of iPhones.

Smaller companies, many of which have endured severe damage from the shutdowns forced by the coronavirus, might now find the Main Street program more appealing. Under the Main Street lending program, banks make loans to businesses; the Fed then buys the loans from the banks. Collectively, the changes suggest that the Fed might be having trouble attracting borrowers for the Main Street program. Chair Jerome Powell previously said the Main Street program would start making loans on June 1 or shortly after, but it has not yet done so. On Monday, the Fed said the program would start registering banks soon and will then buy loans shortly afterwards.

Such was the case for one Great Depression heroine, born 140 years ago today, whose life's work is still benefiting millions of jobless Americans during the coronavirus pandemic. Meet Frances Perkins: the first female member of a presidential cabinet, and the chief architect behind many New Deal programs that live on 85 years later. "There's a whole lot of people whose financial salvation is going to come because Frances Perkins existed." Suzi Levine is trying to channel Frances Perkins lately. Sarah Peskin, board chair at the Frances Perkins Center, points to one poignant quote that feels just as relevant now as it was 85 years ago.