Stock markets continued their slump as measures to curb the Covid-19 outbreak, and alleviate its economic consequences, were ramped up. Share trading came to a halt at one point on the New York Stock Exchange after steep plunges triggered an automatic circuit-breaker.
Wall Street stocks had their worst day since 1987 on 16 March. The Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 12.9%, or nearly 3 000 points, to 20 188.52. The S&P 500 shed 12%, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index slid 12.3% to
6 904.59, reported AFP. The S&P 500 effectively shed all the gains it made in 2019 and is down 32% from its February peak, according to The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
