CARY, N.C. -

When taken together as I did this morning, a quartet of assertions made by TransUnion, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell, the U.S. Department of Labor and Edmunds executive director of insights Jessica Caldwell described how topsy-turvy this pandemic has made the landscape for dealerships and finance companies.

And perhaps, the scene isn’t too unfamiliar, either.

First, let me begin with another point included in the most recent TransUnion financial hardship survey, which also determined how short some households are at meeting monthly obligations because of COVID-19. TransUnion found that nearly a quarter of all Americans (22%) say they need a future stimulus check just to get by, with Gen Xers and millennials indicating the highest level of need at 28% and 26%, respectively.

TransUnion conducted that survey in partnership with third-party provider Qualtrics Research Services just before Halloween.

Then on the Thursday following trick-or-treating, Powell hosted his latest press conference after the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged. He reiterated how the Fed is doing all it can to help every segment of the economy rebound.

“As I have emphasized before, these are lending powers, not spending powers. The Fed cannot grant money to particular beneficiaries. We can only create programs or facilities with broad-based eligibility to make loans to solvent entities with the expectation that the loans will be repaid,” Powell said.

“Many borrowers are benefiting from these programs, as is the overall economy. But for many others, getting a loan that may be difficult to repay may not be the answer. In these cases, direct fiscal support may be needed,” he continued.

“Elected officials have the power to tax and spend and to make decisions about where we, as a society, should direct our collective resources. The fiscal policy actions that have been taken thus far have made a critical difference to families, businesses, and communities across the country,” Powell went on to say.

“Even so, the current economic downturn is the most severe in our lifetimes. It will take a while to get back to the levels of economic activity and employment that prevailed at the beginning of this year, and it may take continued support from both monetary and fiscal policy to achieve that,” he added.

And on Thursday morning, the Labor Department reported another 742,000 workers made their initial claims for unemployment benefits. Officials also tabulated 20.3 million workers remain on some form of unemployment assistance.

Now to the possible convoluted part of the landscape, especially as it might pertain to automotive.

Edmunds sent a news release on Thursday morning describing how shoppers looking for bargain in the new-car space might not find them. Edmunds noted automakers have pulled back on incentives for the holiday due to shortages in inventory created by the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite fewer available discounts, Edmunds experts also said they expect to see healthy retail sales over the holiday weekend thanks to demand from higher-earning consumers looking to direct their spending toward a new vehicle after months in quarantine.

“Consumers who haven’t been financially affected by the pandemic might be feeling the itch to make a big car purchase, especially if stricter quarantine lockdowns prohibit spending on a big vacation or other holiday expenses, like nights out, parties or gifts,” Caldwell said in the release.

“Interest rates remain low, and Americans with the ability to take advantage of them are doing so to upgrade to larger trucks and SUVs,” she added.

To summarize, millions remain unemployed, hoping for stimulus funds that the Fed says could be beneficial.

But the wealthy with robust resources are eager to deploy them. Perhaps they’ll spend on a vehicle that might give a dealership some margin and another tally toward sales objectives as well as a contract the finance company can count in the stronger part of its portfolio.

Maybe things in a COVID-19 world really aren’t that abnormal after all.

Nick Zulovich is senior editor at Cherokee Media Group and can be reached at nzulovich@cherokeemediagroup.com.