© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Signage is seen outside the entrance of the London Stock Exchange in LondonBy Ritvik Carvalho
LONDON (Reuters) – Global stock markets tumbled and government bonds rallied on Friday as disruptions to business from the spreading coronavirus epidemic worsened, stoking fears of a prolonged economic slowdown.
European shares opened sharply lower, with travel stocks bearing the brunt. The pan-European index was down 3.5% by midday in London, reaching its lowest level in more than six months ()
Germany’s DAX () slid 3.5%, Britain’s FTSE 100 () fell 3.2% and France’s CAC 40 () fell 3.7%. The MSCI All-Country World Index (), which tracks shares across 49 countries, was down 0.84%.
After their worst weekly performance since the 2008 financial crisis, global stocks measured by the MSCI index are up 1.7% this week, as policymakers provided stimulus to combat the economic effects of the virus.
(Graphic: Global stocks’…
