Strong start? The federal purse

Wall Street expects that Wendy’s first quarterly snapshot of 2021 will show improved results.

Analysts predict the hamburger chain’s earnings and revenue increased in the January-March quarter from a year earlier. Wendy’s benefited last year from solid sales growth in the U.S. as customers turned to ordering online or by driving up to restaurants due to the pandemic. However, the company’s international sales fell. Investors will get a sales update today, when Wendy’s serves up its quarterly report card.

The Treasury Department issues a report today on how much money Uncle Sam took in and paid out last month.

The March report showed that the federal government’s receipts and outlays translated into a deficit of $659.6 billion for the month. Economists project the April shortfall at a far smaller $32.5 billion. In April last year, the government ended the month with a shortfall of $738 billion as spending ramped up to deal with the economic impact of the pandemic.