Stocks, oil plunge as Fed virus move fails to ease fears

Stock markets and oil prices went into freefall Monday as interest rate cuts and fresh stimulus measures by central banks failed to lift confidence, with analysts warning that the Federal Reserve may have reached the limits of its power to fend off recession as the coronavirus spreads.

Brent North Sea oil plunged more than ten percent to a four-year low, as a price war between major producers Saudi Arabia and Russia added to sliding crude demand caused by the virus.

The euro surged one percent against the dollar after the Fed on Sunday slashed borrowing costs to almost zero -- its second emergency cut in less than two weeks.

The US central bank also unveiled a massive asset-buying programme, similar to measures put into place during the global financial crisis more than a decade ago.

The Bank of Japan joined in on Monday, saying it would ramp up its bond-buying programme.

New Zealand's central bank also slashed rates to record lows in an attempt to cushion the economic blow, while the People's Bank of China has injected vast sums into financial markets to ease liquidity worries.

In joint action coordinated with the European Central Bank, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, Bank of Canada and the Swiss National Bank, the Fed moved to counteract global "dollar funding pressures" according to its boss Jerome Powell.

But traders were left unimpressed, with the virus showing no sign of letting up, while the head of the World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was impossible to tell when it would peak globally.

Trading was halted on Wall Street just after the opening bell, with the Dow dropping nearly 10 percent.

In afternoon trading in Europe, Paris 10.7 per cent, Milan 10.9 per cent, Madrid 11.3 per cent, Frankfurt 9.5 per cent and London 7.9 per cent.

Airlines and tourism groups were the biggest fallers after slashing capacity, with TUI down by nearly a third and British Airways-parent IAG crashing 28 per cent.

The car sector also slid as carmakers Fiat Chrysler and Peugeot-Citroen said they were halting production.