Many U.S. states and cities have a growing surplus of Covid-19 vaccines as a significant percentage of Americans choose not to be inoculated. Overall, U.S. demand remains strong with 37% of people having gotten at least one dose, making the country one of the world’s leaders in vaccinations. Unfortunately, the U.S. is the world leader when it comes to coronavirus infections. And in certain U.S. states, as many as one in three shots are going unused. Those who refuse one are potentially putting those who do not at risk: Until herd immunity is reached, the chance that a new variant could circumvent existing vaccines remains real. Here is the latest on the pandemic. —David E. Rovella 

Bloomberg is tracking the progress of coronavirus vaccines while mapping the pandemic globally and across America. 

Here are today’s top stories   

U.S. stocks jumped to record highs with retail sales and weekly jobless claims signaling an accelerating recovery in the world’s biggest economy. Yields on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes dropped the most since February. Here is your markets wrap.

Thursday’s economic data showed that some parts of the U.S. economy, like retail sales, have returned to or exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Applications for unemployment benefits, while still high, hit their lowest point in 13 months. Nevertheless, close to 8 million people remain out of work thanks to the pandemic-induced downturn.

Investors are signaling fresh concern about when the largest U.S. banks will get back to their bread-and-butter business: lending money.

A senior Bank of Japan official downplayed the potential for China’s digital yuan to threaten the dollar’s position as the world’s main reserve currency. “The dollar’s status as the key global currency won’t change so easily,” said Kazushige Kamiyama.

One of the historic criticisms from Bitcoin bears is the distinct lack of cryptocurrency regulation. Those days may be coming to an end, however, as global financial regulators seem poised for a crackdown.

Administrators to the Australian holding company of Greensill Capital have asked it to clarify a series of payments linked to the brother of founder Lex Greensill. Those payments total $174 million.

The planned U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of bloody conflict may be good for the Taliban, but it may be bad for another big player in the region, Bobby Ghosh writes in Bloomberg Opinion: China.

What you’ll need to know tomorrow 

What you’ll want to read in Bloomberg CityLab

It’s Time to Knock the Toilet Off Its Pedestal

The flush toilet may be the world’s gold standard for sanitation, but the sewer infrastructure it demands is inefficient, costly and outdated. Devised more than 100 years ago, it isn’t serving us now and isn’t up for the challenges of 21st century. Time to rethink the throne.

Titled "America," this fully-working solid gold toilet created by artist Maurizio Cattelan was displayed at the Blenheim Palace on Sept. 12, 2019, in Woodstock, England.

Photographer: Leon Neal/Getty Images Europe

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Bloomberg New Economy Conversations With Andrew Browne. Covid-19 has sped up the monetary revolution. China has the first central bank-issued digital currency and Bitcoin is flying high. Will electronic money empower individuals and small businesses at the expense of big banks? Will blockchain remake the modern corporation? Join us on April 20 at 10 a.m. ET for The Ascent of Digital Money. Register here.

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