Bank of England ready to act as cost of coronavirus mounts

European markets slump while companies worldwide warn of further disruption

The Bank of England has promised to do whatever it can to shore up the economy against the impact of coronavirus after mounting anxiety about the disease sent stock markets into freefall.

The value of FTSE 100 companies slumped by £200bn last week, in tandem with a broader global sell-off in which global stock markets suffered their steepest falls since the 2008 financial crisis.

Related: Coronavirus escalation could cut global economic growth in half – OECD

The World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the Wuhan coronavirus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine.

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