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One great unknown about the coronavirus pandemic currently circling the globe is how it will respond as the weather gets warmer. The virus will “go away in April,” President Donald Trump told a meeting of governors last month, “as the heat comes in.” That over-confident assertion has attracted criticism from virologists and fact-checkers. Most respiratory diseases — such as influenza ...

Bloomberg US equity futures declined along with European stocks on Wednesday, retracing moves from a day earlier while bonds slumped as traders weigh the impact of fiscal and monetary stimulus to counter the effect of the coronavirus. Oil dropped to a 17-year low. Contracts for the S&P 500 once again hit their lower trading curbs after the gauge jumped 6% ...

Bloomberg Indian equities declined anew, with the benchmark index tumbling to a three-year low, as worries mounted that the world’s second-most populous nation could become the next global hotspot for coronavirus infections, further damaging an already fragile economy. The S&P BSE Sensex slumped 5.6% to 28,869.51 to its lowest level since March 2017, marking a third straight session that ended ...

Bloomberg Pressure is intensifying on the Swiss National Bank (SNB) to join policy makers around the world who’ve cut interest rates and increased stimulus in response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak. The central bank hasn’t dropped a bombshell so far this year, despite the franc being at a five-year high against the euro. Instead, data suggest it’s relied on occasional ...

Bloomberg The World Bank is boosting its coronavirus response package by $2 billion with funds from the International Finance Corporation, its lender to the private sector. The IFC’s planned funds are in addition to the $12 billion announced on March 3 by the bank, the world’s top development institution said in a statement. The assistance is aimed at supporting industry ...

Bloomberg The combined weight of the coronavirus and the monetary easing trend around the world could finally persuade one of Asia’s most cautious central banks to cut rates. Taiwan’s policymakers will likely lower borrowing costs in its first policy-rate move since June 2016, joining the expanding ranks of central banks seeking to shore up a receding global economy. Taipei’s monetary ...

Bloomberg Barclays Plc might struggle to reach its profitability target for the year and could cut discretionary awards as the coronavirus pandemic disrupts its business, joining a string of global lenders. “It’s going to be a tough year for earnings,” Tushar Morzaria, finance director, said on Tuesday at the Morgan Stanley European Financials Conference, held virtually this year. Barclays might ...

Bloomberg HSBC Holdings Plc’s search for a new chief ended where it began: with its caretaker CEO Noel Quinn. The bank said Quinn would become its permanent boss, after seven months as interim leader. The board had struggled to secure an external candidate while trying to respond to an increasingly treacherous global economy that’s been rocked by the impact of ...

Bloomberg Iceland’s central bank made a second emergency cut to its benchmark interest rate inside a week as the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus rose to 247 in the tiny north Atlantic nation. The seven-day term deposits rate was reduced by 0.5 percentage points to 1.75%, its lowest level ever. Sedlabanki also reduced countercyclical capital buffer on financial institutions ...

Bloomberg Bank of America Corp. (BofA) pledged to donate $100 million to support populations hurt by the coronavirus. The funds will be distributed to various communities, as well as national and global organisations, the bank said. They’re intended to aid medical response, address food insecurity, assist educational efforts amid school closures and support vulnerable populations, according to the Charlotte, North ...