London’s stock markets opened down sharply this morning as traders prepared for another week of volatility, with more countries introducing stricter measures to curb the spread of Covid-19. The FTSE 100, which edged up on Friday but recorded its ninth weekly loss in a row, opened down 5 per cent, or 242 points, to trade below 5,000 as companies said that they would delay full-year results and the government prepared for stricter social distancing measures. This was despite an unprecedented offer from the government to pay the wages of millions of employees to protect businesses and jobs. European stock markets endured another tough morning of trading amid worries that President Trump’s huge stimulus package for the US economy might get knocked back amid a

Source: The Times March 23, 2020 09:04 UTC