The biggest coronavirus risk to retailers on both sides of the Atlantic may turn out to be empty stores, rather than empty shelves. As the outbreak has spread from Asia to Europe and the US, concern has shifted from the impact on supply chains because of closed Chinese factories to the potential of the deadly disease to put a sudden ...

If the quantum of public spending alone decided the seriousness with which small, open Asian economies are fighting the coronavirus, then Hong Kong’s HK$120 billion ($15.4 billion) package ought to be three times punchier than rival Singapore’s. When it comes to the quality of expenditure and the financing, though, Hong Kong’s plan seems to be less about protecting lives and ...

The Italian government has announced a 3.6-billion euro ($4 billion) stimulus package to help the economy cope with the coronavirus outbreak. The response appears timely and proportionate. Rome can always add to the stimulus later — provided the financial markets allow it. Roberto Gualtieri, minister of finance, said in an interview that he was looking at a three-step plan to ...