Blogs

The first is that every major economy is currently in some form of lockdown, with significant parts of their economies effectively shut down. These lockdowns and shutdowns – the result of what has become known as the suppression strategy – have exacted a huge economic toll. If they are prolonged…

The coronavirus crisis continues to dominate the headlines and remains the primary driver of financial markets and the economic outlook. However, while we are all focused on the immediate issues of the rate of new infections and deaths and so on, are there other factors that we might be under-estimating which could hit markets or the economy?

The coronavirus crisis has continued to deteriorate. Not only are new infections rising exponentially, so is the panic induced. As a result, governments are rolling out massive stimulus policies at a stunning pace. The question then is what net effect these trends will have on the duration and impact of the crisis.

Climate scientists tell us that climate change will not only bring about rising sea levels and more extreme weather events, it also increases the likelihood of epidemics. But despite the clear linkage between the two, our response to the current Covid-19 pandemic is almost completely opposite to our usual response to climate change.

The daily number of new cases of confirmed Covid-19 infection in China has dropped sharply in the last few weeks – from more than 15,000 on February 12 to just 99 on Friday. Many Chinese provinces and cities have for days, even weeks, reported no daily increase in confirmed infections.