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Why have share prices been rising while economies have been falling off a cliff?

What could explain this remarkable bounce back in shares? And if the economy is going into the worst slump since the Second World War, asks Ben Chu, can it possibly last?

Friday 01 May 2020 21:05 BST
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The Dow Jones Index had its best week since 1938 in late March, the same week in which an unprecedented 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment insurance
The Dow Jones Index had its best week since 1938 in late March, the same week in which an unprecedented 3.3 million Americans applied for unemployment insurance

Western stock markets sank at a record rate in February and March as the seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic finally dawned on investors and speculators.

American equities fell faster even than during the Wall Street Crash of 1929.

Yet there has been a surprising turnaround since then.

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