The Good: Ford Ford just recorded a stronger-than-expected third quarter on the back of its F-Series pickups and SUVs. In the world of Covid, expectations have to be slightly depressed, but Ford has managed to outpace its Detroit rivals by almost 5%. While sales are still down 4.9% compared to last year, the rest of the auto industry is down 10%. With a drastic, industry-wide improvement from Q2 to Q3, analysts and industry insiders seem optimistic. Ford said that sales were up 27% compared to the prior three months, with both commercial and fleet showing signs of renewal. The Bad: The Airlines Back when the coronavirus pandemic began, travel restrictions were a centerpiece of trying to contain the virus’ spread, all in the name of public safety. Because of this, millions canceled their upcoming flights, changed travel plans, dropped vacations and switched business meetings from boardrooms to bedrooms. And the major airlines were the ones who felt the pain. The airlines received government help as part of the CARES act with the condition that airlines avoid furloughing their many thousands of employees. Now, with Congress deadlocked and the provisional date expiring, airlines are about to start cutting jobs in major ways: United, for example, is furloughing 16,000 employees; American Airlines 19,000; SouthWest and Delta haven’t released their numbers yet. All of this reflects just how dire travel demand is at the moment: commercial flight demand is down by as much as 70% year to year. The Ugly: Regal/Cineworld After a summer season devoid of blockbusters, start-and-stop reopenings, and underwhelming box office numbers, Regal and the UK’s Cineworld chain are closing down their theaters for the foreseeable future. The news comes on the back of a slew of movie delays, from Dune to Scarlet Widow and beyond. But it was the delay of the latest James Bond franchise entry, No Time To Die, that seemed to be the nail in the coffin. While ticket sales in the States have stayed flat, there’s been some signs of life overseas, in China and parts of Europe. The problem is that theaters are desperate for content. This new round of closures will leave as many as 45,000 employees out of work. As countries across the world start to enforce new rounds of lockdowns, it seems 2020’s blockbuster season may not arrive until 2021.