BitGou: Monday Morning Briefing: Zero rates, zero impact

Coronavirus

What you need to know about the coronavirus epidemic today: "Worst ahead"
Bars, restaurants, theaters and movie houses in New York and Los Angeles are shutting down as the full scale of the coronavirus epidemic dawns on U.S. authorities. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said he was ordering restaurants, bars and cafes to sell food only on a take-out or delivery basis. Similar measures are taking effect in Los Angeles.

Losing faith?
After the Fed's second emergency rate cut in a fortnight, the S&P 500 tumbled 8% at the open, triggering an automatic 15-minute halt of Wall Street's three main indexes for the third time in six days, as traders reacted to drastic weekend measures from the Federal Reserve to stave off a global recession.

The spread
Europe is now clearly the epicenter of the outbreak: There are almost 170,000 cases of coronavirus globally and 6,509 reported deaths. In the past 24 hours, deaths and cases outside China surpassed the number inside China for the first time.

Here for the latest updates and live coverage.

Airlines around the world said they would make more drastic cuts to their flying schedules, shed jobs and seek government aid after countries further tightened border restrictions because of the fast spreading coronavirus. “This crisis is moving really quickly,” United Airlines Chief Executive Oscar Munoz and President Scott Kirby said in a memo to employees on Sunday.

Argentina’s ambitious target to strike a deal with bondholders to revamp almost $70 billion in debts by the end of March was never going to be easy. Now a coronavirus outbreak and crashing bond markets threaten to complicate things further. The South American country is seeking “substantial relief”, Economy Minister Martin Guzman told Reuters last week, but is far from certain to hit its March 31 deadline for a deal, with meetings with creditors affected by the pandemic.

Top Stories

Results or revolution? Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders present dueling visions while blasting Trump's coronavirus response. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders blasted President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak during Sunday’s Democratic debate, and offered competing visions for how they would lead in a time of crisis that has upended the daily lives of Americans. Biden, who had hinted he might choose a woman as his vice presidential running mate if he is picked as the party’s nominee, committed to doing so during his debate with rival Bernie Sanders. The next Democratic presidential primaries are set for Tuesday, despite growing worries about a coronavirus outbreak. Here are three takeaways from Biden and Sanders’ first one-on-one debate.

Donald Trump said on Sunday he is considering a full pardon for his former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who had pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about dealings with Russia’s ambassador before Trump took office. Trump said the FBI and Justice Department had “destroyed” Flynn’s life and that of his family, and cited an unspecified, unsubstantiated report that they had lost records related to Flynn. “I am strongly considering a Full Pardon!” the U.S. president said on Twitter.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s main political rival, Benny Gantz, received an official mandate on Monday from Israel’s president to try to form the country’s next government. “I give you my word, I will do all in my ability to establish within a few days as broad and patriotic a government as possible,” Gantz, leader of the centrist Blue and White party, said in a ceremony next to Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.

For years, Hindus and Muslims lived and worked peacefully together in Yamuna Vihar, a densely populated Delhi district. But the riots that raged through the district last month appear to have cleaved lasting divisions in the community, reflecting a nationwide trend as tensions over the Hindu nationalist agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi boil over.

Business

Nike, Under Armour join retailers shutting stores to limit coronavirus spread

Nike, Lululemon Athletica and Under Armour said they would close stores in U.S. and other markets, joining a growing list of major retailers moving to help limit the spread of the coronavirus. Starbucks has also moved to a 'to go' model in all its company-owned stores in the United States and Canada for at least two weeks to facilitate social distancing among customers.

3 min read

Few U.S. shale firms can withstand prolonged oil price war

For the last five years, U.S. shale oil producers have been battling suppliers for lower costs and running equipment and crews hard to drive drilling costs down by about $20 a barrel. The oil market rout last week, however, has left most shale firms facing prices below their costs of production

6 min read

French antitrust regulator fines Apple $1.2 billion

France’s competition watchdog fined iPhone maker Apple $ 1.2 billion, saying it was guilty of anti-competitive behavior towards its distribution and retail network.

3 min read