Global stocks sink after Trump promises virus aid

Global stock markets sank Wednesday in a third day of wild price swings after President Donald Trump promised aid to get the US economy through the coronavirus outbreak.

London and Frankfurt opened more than 3 per cent lower and Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong all declined. Australia's main index fell 6.4 per cent.

The White House proposal could approach USD 1 trillion in spending to ward off the pressure of business closures to contain the virus. The Federal Reserve has announced more measures to keep financial markets operating.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Trump wants to send checks to Americans in the next two weeks to help support them while more parts of the economy come closer to shutting down.

On Wall Street, the future for the benchmark S&P 500 index was down 3.7 per cent. The future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 3.9 per cent.

On Tuesday, the S&P rose by an unusually wide daily margin of 6 per cent, regaining just under half the previous day's history-making loss. The Dow advanced 5.2 per cent.

Investors expect more volatility until the virus is brought under control. Trump's proposal would include USD 250 billion for small businesses and USD 50 billion for airlines.

That is a good start but investors need to see the number of infections slow before markets can find a bottom, analysts said. The number of new cases reported in China, where the virus emerged in December, is declining but infections in the United States, Europe and elsewhere are increasing.

There are "green shoots of risk appetite emerging, and some further concerning aspects," said Chris Weston of Pepperstone Group in a report. "I am not going to call a bottom in the risk story by any means." The FTSE 100 in London dropped 4.3 per cent to 5,066.96 and Frankfurt's DAX skidded 3.7 per cent to 8,606.79. France's CAC 40 shed 3.4 per cent to 3,873.71.

On Tuesday, European markets swung from gains to losses and back to gains. In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.8 per cent to 2,728.76 while the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo shed 1.7 per cent to 16,726.55. Hong Kong's Hang Seng skidded 4.2 per cent to 22,291.82.

The Kospi in Seoul slumped 4.9 per cent to 1,693.95. Australia's S&P-ASX 200 plunged to 5,320.20.

New Zealand and Singapore rose 1 per cent while Manila fell 7.9 per cent. Bangkok surged 2.8 per cent.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough, and those with mild illness recover in about two weeks. Severe illness including pneumonia can occur, especially in the elderly and people with existing health problems, and recovery could take six weeks in such cases.

On Monday, the Dow lost nearly 3,000 points after Trump said a recession may be on the way. The S&P is off 25.3 per cent from last month's record.

The virus has spread so quickly that its effects haven't shown up in much US economic data yet.

On Tuesday, a report showed retail sales weakened in February, when economists expected a gain. A separate report a day earlier showed manufacturing in the state of New York contracting.

"The global recession is here and now, S&P Global economists wrote in a report Tuesday.

In energy markets, US benchmark crude lost 87 cents to USD 26.08 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost USD 1.75 to USD 26.95 on Tuesday.

Brent crude, the international standard, fell 43 cents to USD 28.25 per barrel in London.

The dollar declined to 107.42 yen from 107.67 late Tuesday. The euro retreated to USD 1.0983 from USD 1.0996.