Top CEOs see business impact from coronavirus lingering until at least the end of 2021

Gold last traded at $1,778 an ounce. Silver at $18.21 an ounce.

NEWS SUMMARY: Precious metal prices eased back Wednesday on profit-taking despite a weaker dollar. U.S stocks rallied early then faded amid upbeat coronavirus vaccine news from Pfizer.

 -CNBC--"The chief executives of the nation's biggest companies expect the business impact from the coronavirus to linger until at least the end of 2021. Nearly a third of them fear it could persist beyond then....There had been hopes that the U.S. was on its way to recovery after fears and lockdown orders jolted the economy this spring. But cases of the coronavirus are back on the rise, and states like Texas have had to delay their reopening plans. On Friday alone, 45,255 additional cases were reported, bringing the country's seven-day average to more than 41% higher than the prior week. The Business Roundtable report referred to the growing infection rate, saying the new cases 'suggest the need for broader adoption of safety measures and for public officials to examine their reopening plans to ensure widespread use of masks, continued limitations on gathering size, and measures to keep vulnerable populations safe.'....The Business Roundtable's CEO Economic Outlook Survey - a composite index of chief executive plans for capital spending and hiring over the next six months -fell to 34.3, its lowest reading since the second quarter of 2009."