snowychap Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Grauniad: Quote Stock markets in Europe and the US are braced for their biggest falls since the 2008 financial crisis after the trading week began with panic selling amid the double threat of a coronavirus-driven global recession and an oil-price war. The FTSE 100 was projected to plunge by 6.3% when trading begins on Monday, while the Dow Jones industrial average was on course to lose 4.9% in New York. It follows huge losses on Asian markets on Monday, where fears about the worsening worldwide economic slowdown were exacerbated by the shock decision by Saudi Arabia over the weekend to increase oil production in an attempt to drive competitors such as Russia and the US out of the market. The price of Brent crude oil fell nearly 30% to $31.14 on Monday, its biggest single fall since the start of the first Gulf war in 1991. Some experts predicted it could fall even further unless the Saudis and Russians returned to the bargaining table. “I think all forecasts are out the window,” said Jonathan Barratt, chief investment officer at Probis Securities in Sydney. “It seems like a race to the bottom to secure order(s).” ...more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desensitized43 Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 9 hours ago, HanoiVillan said: I just don't think this is what's going on. If you were to say to me 'they've decided that the state doesn't have the capacity to lock down entire cities or shut down all businesses and actually enforce it' then I might believe you (although I'd still say wait and see what they do when our numbers start reaching Italian levels, when the denial crumbles). But saying 'they're pursuing a de facto policy of allowing the majority of the population to get infected and the health service to collapse so that we can 'get it over with' faster', nah not for me. 'Total collapse of the health service' is not a potential vote-winner. Or they've decided that the financial cost of locking down regions and banning public gatherings is more important than peoples lives...because it wouldn't be like the Tories to put money before people... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted March 9, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted March 9, 2020 10 hours ago, mjmooney said: If this is real then I'm absolutely thrilled I'm more worried about the lack of essential items due to people stockpiling them than I am about getting the virus itself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Good news: Several of the emergency hospitals they slapped together in Wuhan is closing as it's no longer needed and the number of new cases is dropping (according to China) Bad news: (for those who like tennis) is the tournament in Indian Wells has been cancelled due to the number of new cases in California. The tournament usually gathers around 500.000 people over 2 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Interesting to see what comes out of the emergency Cobra meeting today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindie Posted March 9, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted March 9, 2020 8 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: Interesting to see what comes out of the emergency Cobra meeting today. Sod all. It's just going to be them looking like they're doing something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 9 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: Interesting to see what comes out of the emergency Cobra meeting today. Same here. Selfishly I am hoping for strong encouragement to WFH for people that can. I can do 99% of my job from home, and I'll save 2 hours travelling a day and about £50 a week in fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Just now, Genie said: Same here. Selfishly I am hoping for strong encouragement to WFH for people that can. I can do 99% of my job from home, and I'll save 2 hours travelling a day and about £50 a week in fuel. My missus has to abide by the official government guidelines for working practices. She’s off to an all day business networking event this morning, FFS. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 1 minute ago, Genie said: Same here. Selfishly I am hoping for strong encouragement to WFH for people that can. I can do 99% of my job from home, and I'll save 2 hours travelling a day and about £50 a week in fuel. Same here. It makes sense to wfh for those who can and I’m surprised companies haven’t done it sooner. In certain sectors productivity might even go up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelVilla Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 11 hours ago, OutByEaster? said: Germany and France have a similar number of cases. 19 French people have died. No Germans have died. 1040 cases and no deaths. The USA has 19 deaths from just 484 cases. Now I know you can explain the US because the US health system is basically third world, but just what is it that the Germans know that no one else does? Read yesterday that Germany have more ECMO-machines than other countries. Maybe that shows in your numbers. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Just now, Awol said: My missus has to abide by the official government guidelines for working practices. She’s off to an all day business networking event this morning, FFS. My OH works for the local council although she's not setup at all to work from home. I don't think the government will flinch just yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted March 9, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted March 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, Genie said: Same here. Selfishly I am hoping for strong encouragement to WFH for people that can. I can do 99% of my job from home, and I'll save 2 hours travelling a day and about £50 a week in fuel. Yep. So many people in my office could work from home but it's still frowned upon. I don't know why. But they're prepping everyone for the possibility. Everyone told to sort their VPNs if they haven't and make sure they always take their laptop home, so they'll have to accept it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted March 9, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted March 9, 2020 My OH on the other hand works in an office where they're still ALL on PCs. I think management and directors have laptops, but anyone below that is on a PC. So if they get told to go home it will really **** them over, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genie Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Any idea what time the COBRA meeting is? It just says "later" on the BBC. If its after lunch then its quite telling that the PM isn't giving it much of a priority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 5 minutes ago, Genie said: My OH works for the local council although she's not setup at all to work from home. I don't think the government will flinch just yet. That’s my worry too. Annoyingly she can work from home quite easily so the risk is totally unnecessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Vive_La_Villa Posted March 9, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted March 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: Yep. So many people in my office could work from home but it's still frowned upon. I don't know why. But they're prepping everyone for the possibility. Everyone told to sort their VPNs if they haven't and make sure they always take their laptop home, so they'll have to accept it now. You can sit in the office and gossip, do quizzes and generally faff around all day but if you work from home you must clearly by skiving. I have to put earphones in at work to be able to get anything done such is the noise around me. It’s the only way to stop people talking to me as well! Yes I’m a miserable sod. 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 1 hour ago, bickster said: The impression that I get from my Missus that works in the NHS is that its a f***ing shambles (and that isn't a reflection on the staff). Last week they were asking for volunteers to join testing teams, to work in their spare time as normal over time. Guess what, no-one volunteered. This week they are being told they'll have to do it. This sort of thing should have been organised weeks ago, just in case when the news from China broke, this should be a part of any emergency plan They were meant to be trained in the use of hazard suits last week to be ready to go testing in the community this week. Didn't happen Matt Hancock has been pushed on the Tellybox and just told lie after lie, Remember Chemical Ali? That's Matt Hancock An outbreak of pandemic disease was classified as a ‘Tier 1’ risk in the Security and Defence Reviews of 2010 and 2015. We knew this was a serious threat. Osborne’s follow through in No.11 was to cut 17,000 NHS beds. To hear him crowing on the radio earlier about how we’re now well placed to respond because he ‘fixed the roof’ etc... I could’ve happily strangled him. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted March 9, 2020 Share Posted March 9, 2020 4 minutes ago, Awol said: An outbreak of pandemic disease was classified as a ‘Tier 1’ risk in the Security and Defence Reviews of 2010 and 2015. We knew this was a serious threat. Osborne’s follow through in No.11 was to cut 17,000 NHS beds. To hear him crowing on the radio earlier about how we’re now well placed to respond because he ‘fixed the roof’ etc... I could’ve happily strangled him. A big risk of austerity has always been that it would reduce the state's capacity to respond to emergencies. We've seen it repeatedly in terms of flooding over the last 4-5 months, but that's a localised issue that doesn't affect the majority. Now we're likely to see the hollowed state struggling to cope on the international stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted March 9, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted March 9, 2020 9 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said: You can sit in the office and gossip, do quizzes and generally faff around all day but if you work from home you must clearly by skiving. Exactly. Same with timekeeping at my place. Turn up 1 minute late and people tut and frown. But turn around and talk to your mate for 20 minutes about the football and nobody cares. I've had to basically train my team into realising I don't care if they're late for work, or they have to leave early for something. Just don't take the piss and do your job to a high standard. The girl that works for me will like show me her appointment card for the doctors to prove that she has an appointment. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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