April, 2020

• 8 April

  Italy’s reopening advances in test for Europe’s virus exit

  

  Bloomberg Italy is advancing plans to gradually lift restrictions to contain the coronavirus as Europe’s exit from stringent lockdown measures takes shape. Amid tense discussions weighing political and economic pressures against public-health concerns, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s government is hammering out an approach that foresees the full return to normal life taking months, according to people directly involved in the ...

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• 8 April

  Trump says he’s considering a hold on US funding for WHO

  

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump said he’s considering putting a “hold” on US funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) after the agency “blew it” by failing to sound the alarm sooner about the coronavirus. “I’m not saying I’m going to do it, but we’re going to look at it,” the president said at a White House briefing on the coronavirus. ...

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• 8 April

  Trudeau forced to shift on immigration

  

  Bloomberg In the early days of Canada’s response to the coronavirus, before the crisis captured the full attention of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government, it was still business as usual on at least one front: immigration. On March 12, the day before the Canadian parliament was suspended on concern about the spread of Covid-19, Trudeau’s immigration minister, Marco Mendicino, unveiled ...

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• 8 April

  Covid-19: Irish police freed to arrest travellers

  

  Bloomberg Ireland handed its police sweeping powers to limit travel as part of its efforts to slow the spread of coronavirus as the nation heads into the Easter holiday. The government gave the police powers to arrest people traveling more than 2 kilometers from their home or on non-essential business. If convicted, they could face as long as six months ...

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• 8 April

  People rush trains, take to highways as Wuhan lifts lockdown

  

  Bloomberg Zeng Xiao couldn’t stop taking her temperature, or thinking about her cat. After getting caught up 76 days ago in the government-ordered lockdown of Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus pandemic began, she was finally going home. With travel restrictions lifted on Wednesday, she was taking the very first train out of town: the 12:50 am to Guangzhou, ...

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• 8 April

  Europe stocks fall, US futures fluctuates; dollar strengthens

  

  Bloomberg European stocks fell after a late-session drop on Wall Street and as the region’s finance chiefs failed to reach a deal on an economic response to the coronavirus. US equity-index fluctuates and the dollar gained. The euro and Italian bonds also took a hit after European Union officials struggled to reconcile contrasting visions for the steps needed to help ...

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• 8 April

  India stock analysts turn to cash, volatility amid profit doubts

  

  Bloomberg As analysts struggle to assess India Inc.’s corporate earnings and debt-servicing capabilities amid the nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, they have begun relying on alternative indicators to inform their investment recommendations. Equity analysts speaking in interviews with Bloomberg highlighted measures ranging from volatility and cash levels to daily infection numbers and technical charts. So far, the drop ...

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• 8 April

  Indonesia says New York Fed to provide $60bn credit line

  

  Bloomberg Indonesia’s central bank said the New York Federal Reserve will provide it with a $60 billion repurchase facility to help with liquidity needs amid a dollar shortage triggered by the coronavirus outbreak. Bank Indonesia has no plan yet to use the facility, Governor Perry Warjiyo told investors on a conference call. The agreement on the credit line was a ...

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• 8 April

  Bitcoin surges to $7,193 amid wider risk-on rally

  

  Bloomberg As risk assets regain their mojo amid optimism the coronavirus spread is beginning to level off, Bitcoin’s back above $7,000. The largest cryptocurrency gained as much as 6.4% to $7,193, its highest in nearly a month. That’s its biggest one-day gain in two weeks and caps a near 11% rally for Bitcoin so far in April. “Risk-on mode was ...

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• 8 April

  Ghana urged to consider tax breaks

  

  Bloomberg Republic Bank Ghana Ltd. is urging the government to cut tax rates to cushion the economy from the fallout of the coronavirus. The government should consider easing corporate-income tax to 20% from 25% and give workers relief, Benjamin Dzoboku, the Accra-based lender’s general manager for finance and strategy, said by phone. Banks, insurers, telecommunications firms, breweries and miners pay ...

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