Coronavirus is spreading at an accelerating rate, but inappropriate quarantines and travel bans could cause more havoc than the disease itself. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has a duty to protect human health, but also an obligation to protect the world’s citizens from the human rights violations or unnecessary economic hardship that panic could cause. So far, they’re doing a ...

Almost all of Asia’s central bankers have said the economic risks from the Wuhan coronavirus are significant. Then why aren’t they all taking action? In a slew of interest-rate meetings, policymakers have been all over the map. Thailand surprised most economists by reducing rates, while the Philippines cut and India held, as anticipated. The Reserve Bank of Australia acknowledged the ...

I can’t remember the last time I bought a pen. Why would I? The globe is covered with a great sloshing tide of writing implements that ebb and flow between restaurants and hotel lobbies, briefcases and bodegas. Pens trickle out of my purse into the world, and from the world back into my purse. The exception to this “Tide of ...

Not too long ago, tech enthusiasts were telling us that by 2020, we’d see self-driving cars hit the mainstream, with some 10 million on the roads. That turned out to be a wild overestimation. The actual number of vehicles in testing is thousands of times smaller, and they’re still driving mostly in controlled conditions. Companies have also scaled back their ...

Bloomberg US equity futures climbed alongside stocks in Europe and Asia as investors pushed benchmarks to record highs before commentary from Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. Oil rose and Treasuries slipped. Contracts on the three main American gauges pared earlier gains but remained in the green ahead of Powell’s testimony before Congress, where the Fed chair will likely give hints ...

Bloomberg India stocks rose, rebounding from two days of losses, as investors assessed the impact of the federal budget on demand while earnings season for companies enters its last leg. The S&P BSE Sensex advanced 0.6%, the most in nearly a week, to 41,216.14 in Mumbai. It had risen as much as 1.1% on Tuesday. The NSE Nifty 50 Index ...

Bloomberg Euphoria around Bitcoin’s break above $10,000 over the weekend appears to be short-lived. The largest cryptocurrency found resistance just above that level, reaching as high as $10,194 on Sunday before pulling back, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. It similarly struggled with that level in September when it crossed $10,000 — the month that followed saw it lose more ...

Bloomberg The timing couldn’t be much worse for Asia’s biggest airshow as the novel coronavirus roils the aviation industry. The outbreak has prompted scores of companies and VIPs to pull out of the Singapore Airshow, including F-35 fighter-jet maker Lockheed Martin Corp and Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (Comac). Industry leaders Boeing Co and Airbus SE, which usually count on ...

Bloomberg The US Transportation Department’s Inspector General is opening a new review of how regulators decided on pilot-training requirements for Boeing Co’s grounded 737 Max. The Inspector General is beginning an audit of domestic and international pilot training standards, it said in a press release. The evaluation was requested by Democratic and Republican lawmakers. The audit will focus on the ...

Bloomberg Philippine Airlines Inc and Cebu Air Inc have suspended their Taiwan flights after the Southeast Asian nation expanded its travel ban on the novel coronavirus. The order temporary barring the entry and departure of foreign nationals from China, Hong Kong and Macau will also cover Taiwan, the Bureau of Immigration said. Both carriers suspended the Taiwan flights starting from ...