It's Monday the 11th of May 2020. I'm Robert Guest, the economist's foreign editor.

Welcome to Editors' Picks, where you can hear three of the defining articles from this

week's paper, Red Allowed.

Our cover story looks at the dangerous gap between America's stock market and its economy.

In the past few weeks, a gut-wrenching sell-off in shares has been followed by a delirious rally.

At one level, this makes good sense. But there's something wrong with how far stock prices

have moved. The rosy view on Wall Street is far from life on Main Street, where people

are out of work, small businesses are struggling to get cash, and there is the ever-present threat

of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Next, high-speed science. New research on the coronavirus is being released in a torrent.

It could change how science is published for good.

And casual sex is out. Compagnionship is in. We look at how lockdowns are moving people

to try virtual dating.

The stories you're about to hear are just a sample of what's on offer in the economist.

With a subscription, you can read or listen to all of our journalism. Get your first

12 issued for 12 pounds by visiting economist.com slash radio offer.

First up, the dangerous gap between Wall Street and Main Street in America.

Stock market history is packed with drama, the 1929 crash. Black Monday in 1987, when share prices

lost 20% in a day, the dot-com mania in 1999. With such precedence, nothing should come

as a surprise, but the past eight weeks have been remarkable nonetheless. A gut wrenching

sell-off in shares has been followed by a delirious rally in America. Between February 19th

and March 23rd, the S&P 500 index lost a third of its value. With barely a pause, it

...