Final Thoughts

Economists are fond of saying, “when the United States sneezes, the rest of the world gets a cold.” Where goes the world’s largest economy, smaller economies follow. Likewise, China, the world’s second largest economy, has come down with a particularly nasty bug that is threatening the health of global commerce.

By now most are familiar with the novel coronavirus, also known as Covid-19, that has tragically disrupted life in China. To date, the virus reportedly has infected more than 75,000 and claimed the lives of more than 2,000. To stop the spread of the flu-like virus, the Chinese government has taken extreme measures to control the movements of millions of people, putting a strain on the Chinese economy. Workers who had been ordered to stay home to prevent the spread of the disease are now beginning to return to the nation’s businesses and factories. Health officials in China and the rest of the world will be watching closely in the coming weeks to see if the virus has been contained as commerce gears back.