Euro Area March PMIs Plunge as Governments Lock Down Non-essential Services to Fight COVID-19
COVID-19 UPDATE 42,464 new cases of infection were recorded on Monday as cases of infection continued to surge worldwide. The UK finally announced a lockdown similar to the measures in Europe with only essential services such as food stores and pharmacies remaining open and gatherings of more than two people essentially banned. Interestingly, the police…
Read MoreECB Unveils €750 Billion Emergency Stimulus
COVID-19 UPDATE Wednesday saw the number of confirmed cases top 200,000 as 20,014 new cases were confirmed worldwide. To highlight the contrasting turn of events, China – the epicentre of the outbreak – only recorded 34 infections, none of which were local transmissions while Italy – the supposed new epicentre – recorded 4,278 new infections.…
Read MoreUS Prepares $850 Billion Stimulus Package as Coronavirus Hits All States
COVID-19 UPDATE Confirmed coronavirus infections are likely to pass the 200,000 mark on Wednesday following a surge on Tuesday which saw 14,676 confirmed cases globally; of these, only 21 were in China. All 50 states in the US now have confirmed cases after West Virginia confirmed its first case on Tuesday as the government submitted…
Read MoreBank of England Makes Emergency 50bps Rate Cut
COVID-19 UPDATE 4,896 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed globally on Monday with only 19 of the cases being in China as the spread takes its toll on the rest of the world. More than 4,200 people had succumbed to the virus as at Tuesday with about 119,000 globally confirmed cases. Cases in Italy surged…
Read MoreMarkets Roil as Oil Price War Takes Centre Stage
COVID-19 UPDATE Monday saw Italy put the entire country on lockdown as the total number of confirmed cases clocked over 9,000 with 463 deaths, only second to China. Containment efforts in China have borne fruit with Monday’s new confirmed cases representing just 1% of global infections which stood at 3,959. First cases of infection were…
Read MoreLebanon Makes About Turn on Banks’ Asset Freeze as Repayment Date Draws Close
COVID-19 UPDATE Thursday saw 3,300 new cases of COVID-19 with only 139 of those recorded in China as the global spread accelerates. Cases in South Korea and Italy continued to rise with confirmations now standing at 6,284 and 3,858 respectively. The 3% death toll in Iran makes it the worst hit country outside China with…
Read MoreFed Surprises Markets with an Emergency 50bps Rate Cut
COVID-19 UPDATE The spread of the coronavirus outside appears to be continuing unabated with Tuesday figures highlighting the grimmest picture yet. Tuesday saw a 2,101 increase in the number of confirmed cases with China accounting for a meagre 125 of the cases. Cases in South Korea and Iran continued to surge topping 5,300 and 2,300…
Read MoreMarkets Higher as Central Banks Hint Monetary Easing
COVID-19 UPDATE Monday saw the global number of infections top 90,000 as cases in South Korea and Italy surged past 4,800 and 2,000 respectively. 8 countries also recorded their first cases including Senegal, Portugal and Jordan with 924 new infections recorded globally. South Korea’s 600 new cases made the bulk of infections with China recording…
Read MoreSouth Africa to Cut Support for State Companies in Latest Budget
COVID-19 UPDATE The spread of COVID-19 outside China continued Wednesday with new confirmed cases in China falling below cases confirmed elsewhere for only the second day since the outbreak began; 1,046 new cases were confirmed worldwide with China accounting for 406 of them. South Korea cases also continue to rise with 334 new cases confirmed…
Read MoreGlobal Rout in Stocks Continues Amid Unrelenting COVID-19 Spread
COVID-19 UPDATE Spain and Switzerland confirmed their first cases of infection on Tuesday as the COVID-19 continues to show up in new countries. The Swiss case involved a man who had been to Lombardy, Italy – the hotbed of Italian infections – mid-February. The Spanish case was the first on mainland Spain and involved a…
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