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Hospitals often speak of what’s called “surge capacity” — the ability to absorb a sudden influx of patients because of a terrorist attack, a natural disaster, or even, yes, a pandemic. Given the possible influx of patients sickened by the new coronavirus, how much of a surge can US hospitals accommodate? Not as much as you might think. For years, ...

At last the creaking wheels of the European Union are starting to turn in motion — its leaders scared, no doubt, by the violent market reaction to the underwhelming performance by European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde. The entire viability of the euro project was once again coming into question because of the single currency area’s fractured response to the ...

Confidence in the Indian financial system has been breaking down for some time. Instead of trying to restore trust, it may be time to require less of it — with the help of an official rupee cryptocurrency. The last straw was the collapse of corporate lender Yes Bank Ltd, which failed in slow motion in full view of authorities. Depositors ...

Bloomberg US equity futures tumbled by their limits and Treasuries surged at the start of what’s set to be another volatile week, with investors responding to the rapidly escalating economic hit from the coronavirus and a massive emergency move by the Federal Reserve to ease lending. Contracts on the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Industrial Average all sank ...

Bloomberg India’s benchmark stock index slumped to its lowest since September 2017 after entering a bear market last week amid concern that the novel coronavirus outbreak may threaten the nation’s already fragile economy. The S&P BSE Sensex fell 8% to 31,390.07 in Mumbai, with all 30 members declining, following a wild session last week, when the gauge swung to end ...

Bloomberg Zimbabwean Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube restricted trading in three companies’ stocks to try and halt a rout of the nation’s currency. The measure to limit trading of dual-listed shares Old Mutual Ltd, PPC Ltd and Seed Co will be in place for a year, Ncube said in a Government Gazette. The order doesn’t have any impact on the settlement ...

Bloomberg The Federal Reserve (Fed) and five counterparts united to ensure that dollars keep flowing around the world after the coronavirus emergency sparked a rush for greenbacks. In coordinated statements, the Fed, Bank of Japan (BOJ), European Central Bank (ECB), Swiss National Bank (SNB), Bank of Canada and Bank of England (BOE) said they would use their swap lines to ...

Bloomberg China’s central bank added to its growing list of measures aimed at countering the economic fallout from the spreading virus, injecting $14.3 billion into the financial system. The People’s Bank of China offered 100 billion yuan via the one-year medium-term lending facility, keeping the rate unchanged at 3.15%. There were no loans coming due Monday. The central bank refrained ...

Bloomberg Citigroup Inc. is forecasting a 10% boost in new clients and assets at its retail wealth unit in Asia, betting that a digital push will help it grow this year even as the coronavirus upends businesses across the region. The bank plans to expand its customer base across 12 markets, underpinned by online growth, said Fabio Fontainha, Citi’s head ...

Bloomberg BMO Harris Bank, a unit of Bank of Montreal, must face billions of dollars in investor claims tied to a massive Ponzi scheme run by former client Tom Petters, a judge ruled. A request by BMO Harris to have the case thrown out before trial was rejected Friday by a federal judge in St. Paul, Minnesota. The claim was ...