US feels the ripple effects of Covid-19 as indexes dip

BULLS and bears are grappling over a question that may decide the fate of the stockmarket expansion: Can medical authorities around the world contain an epidemic before it causes a lasting economic slowdown?

US stocks fell sharply last week as warnings from Apple and others forced a re-assessment of the economic impact of the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.

Infection clusters in Chinese prisons outside Hubei province, in South Korea, Italy and other nations have scuppered hopes that the spread of the virus could be slowing.