huffpost--2020-04-14--You’re Not Imagining It If You Think Your Kid Is Regressing Right Now

The pandemic has thrown countless wrenches into family life , but one has been especially bewildering .
Parents have been noticing that the longer COVID-19 safety measures carry on , the more their kids are falling back on habits they had when they were younger .
One U.K.-based mom posted on Twitter , for example , that her daughter is ignoring devices in favor of old toys .
Behaviors like these aren ’ t reason for alarm .
Experts say many kids are showing signs of regression right now , and it ’ s simply a coping mechanism to deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ different from child to child Anyone can experience pandemic anxiety , children included .
While seeing them visibly unhappy or distressed is a sign they may need mental health support , regressive behaviors might be harder to spot and address .
Kids who are potty-trained suddenly wetting the bed every night may be regressing , as may be older kids who take up thumb-sucking again or revert to babbling like babies .
Your child acting like a baby doesn ’ t mean you ’ ve failed as a parent .
Today ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changes can warrant “ baby mode , ” like getting a new sibling or not sleeping enough .
People of all ages can revert to old and familiar coping mechanisms when faced with a crisis situation , which a pandemic would , of course , fall under .
“ Experiencing this seismic shift in our worlds has sent many of us into survival mode .
Our psychic energy has been diverted from higher-level brain functions to just trying to cope day to day , ” social worker and Psychology Today writer Claire Lerner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ unconsciously regress in order to get more attention from their parents or to gain control over their lives , child psychologist Dr. Tove Klein told New York Times .
Now is not the time to discipline Regressive behaviors like tantrums may overlap with behaviors that ordinarily warrant a time-out , but resist the urge to tell your little one to stop or “ grow up.
” Parenting blogger Dr. Laura Markham suggested being patient with kids who are regressing , as their behavior shows they ’ re too overwhelmed to handle expectations they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ past , in a post on her website .
“ They ’ re showing you , because they don ’ t have the words to tell you , ” she pointed out .
“ So summon up all your patience and remind yourself that your child needs your support to cope during this challenging time .
You can either reduce the demands on the child , or increase the child ’ s inner resources.
” This can be done through verbal reassurance to your kid that they are loved and also by stepping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the current problem is , like reinforcing that you aren ’ t mad they wet the bed and changing soiled bedsheets with them .
Kids might feel the need to open up to parents about their worries .
If that happens , Lerner emphasized the importance of acknowledging that how they feel is valid before trying to fix their problem .
“ If you skip the step of validation before providing reassurance or going into problem-solving mode , it doesn ’ t give your child the chance to work through the feelings that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote for Psychology Today .
Be kind to yourself , too When it all gets too much to bear , the parenting website recommends dividing up duties with another adult in the household ( if there is another parent or caregiver to tag-team with ) or finding snatches of alone time when possible .

The pandemic has thrown countless wrenches into family life, but one has been especially bewildering. Parents have been noticing that the longer COVID-19 safety measures carry on, the more their kids are falling back on habits they had when they were younger. One U.K.-based mom posted on Twitter, for example, that her daughter is ignoring devices in favour of old toys.
Another parent, from New Jersey, wondered why her seven-year-old was thumb-sucking.
My big kid is regressing into carrying around his Baby Bear a lot & talking to him. It makes sense and I’m happy he’s finding a way to self-soothe but it also breaks my heart. — Danielle Donaldson (@WriterDonaldson) April 13, 2020
Behaviours like these aren’t reason for alarm. Experts say many kids are showing signs of regression right now, and it’s simply a coping mechanism to deal with uncertainty and stress.
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Here’s what parents in lockdown should keep in mind:
Regression looks different from child to child
Anyone can experience pandemic anxiety, children included. While seeing them visibly unhappy or distressed is a sign they may need mental health support, regressive behaviours might be harder to spot and address.
Kids who are potty-trained suddenly wetting the bed every night may be regressing, as may be older kids who take up thumb-sucking again or revert to babbling like babies.
sodapix sodapix via Getty Images Bed-wetting or bladder accidents may point to a child's problems with emotional processing.
Today reports that tantrums and clinging to parents could also indicate a child has taken a step backwards developmentally, in order to cope.
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Regression is a normal reaction to stress
Your child acting like a baby doesn’t mean you’ve failed as a parent. Today’s Parent noted that even relatively normal life changes can warrant “baby mode,” like getting a new sibling or not sleeping enough.
People of all ages can revert to old and familiar coping mechanisms when faced with a crisis situation, which a pandemic would, of course, fall under.
“Experiencing this seismic shift in our worlds has sent many of us into survival mode. Our psychic energy has been diverted from higher-level brain functions to just trying to cope day to day,” social worker and Psychology Today writer Claire Lerner explained.
A child may consciously or unconsciously regress in order to get more attention from their parents or to gain control over their lives, child psychologist Dr. Tove Klein told New York Times.
Now is not the time to discipline
Regressive behaviours like tantrums may overlap with behaviours that ordinarily warrant a time-out, but resist the urge to tell your little one to stop or “grow up.”
Advertisement
Parenting blogger Dr. Laura Markham suggested being patient with kids who are regressing, as their behaviour shows they’re too overwhelmed to handle expectations they may have otherwise have managed in the past, in a post on her website.
fizkes via Getty Images Scolding won't be productive for parents dealing with kids regressing because of pandemic anxiety.
“They’re showing you, because they don’t have the words to tell you,” she pointed out. “So summon up all your patience and remind yourself that your child needs your support to cope during this challenging time. You can either reduce the demands on the child, or increase the child’s inner resources.”
This can be done through verbal reassurance to your kid that they are loved and also by stepping up to help them get through whatever the current problem is, like reinforcing that you aren’t mad they wet the bed and changing soiled bedsheets with them.
Help them manage hard feelings
Kids might feel the need to open up to parents about their worries. If that happens, Lerner emphasized the importance of acknowledging that how they feel is valid before trying to fix their problem.
Advertisement
“If you skip the step of validation before providing reassurance or going into problem-solving mode, it doesn’t give your child the chance to work through the feelings that are driving his behaviour,” Lerner wrote for Psychology Today.
Be kind to yourself, too
You’re only human if you sometimes find that kids acting like babies gets on your nerves, Motherly acknowledges. Providing extra comfort to kids who need coddling can take a toll on already weary parents.
When it all gets too much to bear, the parenting website recommends dividing up duties with another adult in the household (if there is another parent or caregiver to tag-team with) or finding snatches of alone time when possible.


huffpost--2020-04-14--I'm Quarantined With My Abuser. Here's What I Want You To Know.

This was supposed to be the year I left an unhappy marriage of almost 20 years that came with psychological and emotional abuse .
I still believe this will be my year of freedom since it ’ s only April , but I ’ ve had to put my plans and dreams on hold while I wait out the stay-at-home order and all the “ nonessential ” institutions and services remain closed .
To the outside world , when I post on social media or buy groceries , which has become my only public outing now , I may seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ am constantly nervous about what I or my children will do that could anger my husband .
How can I keep him from yelling at me ?
What new list of demands will he issue ?
Will I find his orders tolerable or soul-crushing ?
Will he take offense at something and retaliate with more threats and restrictive rules for me and my children ?
Anyone familiar with living in the same household with an abuser while going through a divorce knows that arguments , intimidation and retaliation can be the fodder of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happened , the courts were open , most of the country wasn ’ t under stay-at-home orders , a deadly pandemic wasn ’ t killing people and we didn ’ t have more than 16 million Americans unemployed in less than a month .
For those living in fear with their abusers , the coronavirus has compounded the time that they must spend together .
It has magnified the stress levels in our homes and surely increased incidents of domestic violence .
For many of us , the toxic spouse leaving for work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intimidation , verbal battery and abuse .
Now many of these significant others are either working from home or unemployed .
The very nature of this virus isolates people .
If we show symptoms of the disease , we must quarantine ourselves from our families and from society itself for at least 14 days .
To end up at a hospital can mean lingering and ultimately dying separated from loved ones because no one will be allowed into our rooms as we struggle for our last breath .
For weeks we ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” where now we must not intrude within 6 feet of one another ’ s personal space .
Steadily all of our in-person social groups and institutions have closed .
Some connections have moved online , but this new norm of personal interaction and socialization by computer has left many people anxious , lonely and disconnected .
Some have joked that this forced confinement will result in a baby boom in nine months .
Most of the media focus has been on those affected medically or financially by this crisis .
But the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pain of those living in homes where they have been mentally , emotionally and/or physically abused .
And this often overlooked group needs help , too .
Now that we have more hours together in the same house , there are more opportunities for my husband to hurl criticisms at me .
As the arguing intensified over the past month , several friends have urged me to move out as soon as possible .
There were times I didn ’ t feel safe as he hounded me with his lists of demands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , screamed , name-called and incessantly ordered me to explain why something was put in the wrong place .
I reached the decision to seek a divorce unexpectedly last year .
Over the years , I had been conditioned to living with the constant fear of what he would be upset about next .
Even the “ good ” times were never really pleasant because I always knew that he could suddenly turn and become infuriated with me about something .
He exerted control sometimes by implementing consequences but mainly by issuing endless @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I could see that accepting this mistreatment was damaging my children ’ s view of women as they watched their mom being denigrated by her husband .
Being under a stay-at-home order when I don ’ t feel safe at home is frightening .
I recently called my lawyer to tell him that the threats and constant bullying were getting to be more than I could handle and I needed to make a plan to leave earlier than September .
My lawyer told me to make up with my husband , do my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I could work for a few months at my new job , and hope that the courts reopen by July .
I understood his reasoning and resolved to do whatever I could once again to be agreeable and endure this time amicably .
It appears this will be yet another life stage during which I have to tolerate my husband , my freedom be damned .
I feel like if my resident state truly cared about my freedom , then its divorce law wouldn ’ t require one of us to move out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
As long as I can ’ t afford to move to a place that will house my three children , I can ’ t file for a divorce .
I looked into my options last summer and discovered that without an income above $ 160,000 or a letter from someone qualified to guarantee my rent , no landlord would lease to me in my children ’ s school district .
So when we wonder why abused spouses stay in miserable situations , it ’ s partly because our society still doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are financially dependent on a spouse and have children but still wish to leave .
I never felt the pain was bad enough to move to a shelter before , but now it feels like I ’ m forced to choose between continuing to endure psychological abuse or going to a place where I and my children might be exposed to a life-threatening virus .
I am an optimist by nature and have staggered through this marriage by focusing on whatever I could that was positive .
Like any mother during this lockdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make sure that my children are able to engage in some fun activity like playing a board game , throwing a ball in the yard or baking .
In responding to external crises that I can not control , I find comfort in the writings of Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl .
I hope everybody making the best of confinement and abusive situations might find solace in this quotation as well .
He wrote , “ Everything can be taken from a man but one thing : the last of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s attitude in any given set of circumstances , to choose one ’ s own way.
” There are times in life when we have to reevaluate , grit our teeth and make the best of our circumstances .
We can choose our response and our outlook .
And if we know someone having a tough time right now , try to check in on them and remind them that they are not alone and that there is a future on the other side of this crisis .

kieferpix via Getty Images
Editor’s note: HuffPost has chosen to publish the following first-person account without naming the author. We do this only rarely and have done so here because of the potential risk to the author if her real name were used.
This was supposed to be the year I left an unhappy marriage of almost 20 years that came with psychological and emotional abuse. I still believe this will be my year of freedom since it’s only April, but I’ve had to put my plans and dreams on hold while I wait out the stay-at-home order and all the “nonessential” institutions and services remain closed.
Advertisement
To the outside world, when I post on social media or buy groceries, which has become my only public outing now, I may seem to exude happiness. However, I am constantly nervous about what I or my children will do that could anger my husband. How can I keep him from yelling at me? What new list of demands will he issue? Will I find his orders tolerable or soul-crushing? Will he take offense at something and retaliate with more threats and restrictive rules for me and my children?
Anyone familiar with living in the same household with an abuser while going through a divorce knows that arguments, intimidation and retaliation can be the fodder of daily life. But usually when this happened, the courts were open, most of the country wasn’t under stay-at-home orders, a deadly pandemic wasn’t killing people and we didn’t have more than 16 million Americans unemployed in less than a month.
For those living in fear with their abusers, the coronavirus has compounded the time that they must spend together. It has magnified the stress levels in our homes and surely increased incidents of domestic violence. For many of us, the toxic spouse leaving for work provided needed relief from the barrage of intimidation, verbal battery and abuse. Now many of these significant others are either working from home or unemployed.
The very nature of this virus isolates people. If we show symptoms of the disease, we must quarantine ourselves from our families and from society itself for at least 14 days. To end up at a hospital can mean lingering and ultimately dying separated from loved ones because no one will be allowed into our rooms as we struggle for our last breath. For weeks we’ve learned concepts like “social distancing,” where now we must not intrude within 6 feet of one another’s personal space. Steadily all of our in-person social groups and institutions have closed. Some connections have moved online, but this new norm of personal interaction and socialization by computer has left many people anxious, lonely and disconnected.
Advertisement
“For many of us, the toxic spouse leaving for work provided needed relief from the barrage of intimidation, verbal battery and abuse. Now many of these significant others are either working from home or unemployed.”
Some have joked that this forced confinement will result in a baby boom in nine months. Most of the media focus has been on those affected medically or financially by this crisis. But the pandemic’s upheaval is also exacerbating the pain of those living in homes where they have been mentally, emotionally and/or physically abused. And this often overlooked group needs help, too.
I feel fortunate that over the past month several friends have reached out to check how I’m doing because they know the stress and hostility I experience with my husband. Having them to text, email and talk with during this period of isolation has been vital to my staying positive and hopeful.
Now that we have more hours together in the same house, there are more opportunities for my husband to hurl criticisms at me. As the arguing intensified over the past month, several friends have urged me to move out as soon as possible. There were times I didn’t feel safe as he hounded me with his lists of demands, threatened me about the divorce terms, screamed, name-called and incessantly ordered me to explain why something was put in the wrong place.
I reached the decision to seek a divorce unexpectedly last year. Over the years, I had been conditioned to living with the constant fear of what he would be upset about next. Even the “good” times were never really pleasant because I always knew that he could suddenly turn and become infuriated with me about something. He exerted control sometimes by implementing consequences but mainly by issuing endless threats. Beyond my own fears, I could see that accepting this mistreatment was damaging my children’s view of women as they watched their mom being denigrated by her husband.
Advertisement
So I got a lawyer, but I’m still stuck in place now.
“My lawyer told me to make up with my husband, do my best to get along, wait until I could work for a few months at my new job, and hope that the courts reopen by July.”
Being under a stay-at-home order when I don’t feel safe at home is frightening. I recently called my lawyer to tell him that the threats and constant bullying were getting to be more than I could handle and I needed to make a plan to leave earlier than September. My lawyer told me to make up with my husband, do my best to get along, wait until I could work for a few months at my new job, and hope that the courts reopen by July. I understood his reasoning and resolved to do whatever I could once again to be agreeable and endure this time amicably. It appears this will be yet another life stage during which I have to tolerate my husband, my freedom be damned.
I feel like if my resident state truly cared about my freedom, then its divorce law wouldn’t require one of us to move out in order to file for a divorce. As long as I can’t afford to move to a place that will house my three children, I can’t file for a divorce. I looked into my options last summer and discovered that without an income above $160,000 or a letter from someone qualified to guarantee my rent, no landlord would lease to me in my children’s school district.
So when we wonder why abused spouses stay in miserable situations, it’s partly because our society still doesn’t offer much support to those who are financially dependent on a spouse and have children but still wish to leave. I never felt the pain was bad enough to move to a shelter before, but now it feels like I’m forced to choose between continuing to endure psychological abuse or going to a place where I and my children might be exposed to a life-threatening virus.
In addition, I was going to start a new job at the beginning of April to earn some income, but that was delayed another month because of this virus. When you haven’t supported yourself financially as an adult, starting anew as a single mother of three is intimidating.
Advertisement
“I never felt the pain was bad enough to move to a shelter before, but now it feels like I’m forced to choose between continuing to endure psychological abuse or going to a place where I and my children might be exposed to a life-threatening virus.”
I am an optimist by nature and have staggered through this marriage by focusing on whatever I could that was positive. Like any mother during this lockdown time, I do try each day to make sure that my children are able to engage in some fun activity like playing a board game, throwing a ball in the yard or baking.
In responding to external crises that I cannot control, I find comfort in the writings of Austrian psychiatrist and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl. I hope everybody making the best of confinement and abusive situations might find solace in this quotation as well. He wrote, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of human freedoms ― to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
There are times in life when we have to reevaluate, grit our teeth and make the best of our circumstances. We can choose our response and our outlook. And if we know someone having a tough time right now, try to check in on them and remind them that they are not alone and that there is a future on the other side of this crisis.
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.


huffpost--2020-03-12--Wall Street Has Its Worst Day Since 1987

The S & P 500 plummeted 9.5 % , for a total drop of 26.7 % from its all-time high , set just last month .
That puts it way past the 20 % threshold to make this a bear market , snapping an unprecedented , nearly 11-year bull-market run .
The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 10 % for its worst day since a nearly 23 % drop on Oct. 19 , 1987 .
The heavy losses came amid a cascade of cancellations and shutdowns across the globe — including Trump ’ s suspension of most travel to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the White House and other authorities around the world can ’ t or won ’ t counter the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic any time soon .
“ The news just continues to get worse , and the travel ban puts an exclamation point on the weakness we ’ re going to see in global GDP and , in turn , the U.S. , ” said Liz Ann Sonders , chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab .
“ We ’ re starting to get a sense of how dire the impact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Each day the news doesn ’ t get better , it gets worse .
It ’ s now has hit Main Street to a more significant degree.
” Stocks fell so fast on Wall Street at the opening bell that they triggered an automatic , 15-minute trading halt for the second time this week .
The so-called circuit breakers were first adopted after the 1987 crash , and until this week hadn ’ t been tripped since 1997 .
The Dow briefly turned upward and halved its losses at one point in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would step in to ease “ highly unusual disruptions ” in the Treasury market .
But the burst of momentum quickly faded .
Trump often points proudly to the big rise on Wall Street under his administration and warned a crowd at a rally last August that “ whether you love me or hate , you got ta vote for me , ” or else your 401 ( k ) will go “ down the tubes.
” Just last month , the Dow was boasting a nearly 50 % gain since Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 20 , 2017 .
By Thursday ’ s close , the Dow was clinging to a 6.9 % gain , though it was still up nearly 16 % since just before Trump ’ s election in November 2016 .
On Wednesday , the Dow finished the day down more than 20 % from its all-time high , set just last month , officially entering what is known as a bear market for the first time in over a decade .
“ This is bad .
The worst and fastest stock market correction in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chief financial economist at MUFG Union , said in a research note overnight .
“ The economy is doomed to recession if the country stops working and takes the next 30 days off .
The stock market knows it.
” The coronavirus has infected around 128,000 people worldwide and killed over 4,700 .
The death toll in the U.S. climbed to 39 , with over 1,300 infections .
For most people , the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms , such as fever and cough .
For some , especially older adults @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it can cause more severe illnesses , including pneumonia .
The vast majority of people recover from the virus in a matter of weeks .
“ What markets are waiting for are efforts to contain the virus in a very aggressive way , ways we ’ ve seen in other countries , ” said Nela Richardson , investment strategist at Edward Jones .
“ Short of that , nibbling around the edges , maybe doing something that can help a firm with a very short-term impact or help an employee , doesn ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not the bull ’ s-eye , and it ’ s not as targeted as the markets would like to see.
” — Travel stocks again were among the hardest hit .
Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises both lost roughly a quarter of their value .
Another drop for United Airlines put its loss for the year at more than 50 % .
Perhaps more alarming were complaints in recent days by investors that trading in the Treasury market wasn ’ t working well .
For reasons that weren ’ t immediately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surprisingly large gaps in prices being offered by buyers and sellers .
That threatened to cause the market to seize up .

LOADING ERROR LOADING
NEW YORK (AP) — The escalating coronavirus emergency Thursday sent stocks to their worst losses since the Black Monday crash of 1987, extending a sell-off that has now wiped out most of Wall Street’s big run-up since President Donald Trump’s election.
The S&P 500 plummeted 9.5%, for a total drop of 26.7% from its all-time high, set just last month. That puts it way past the 20% threshold to make this a bear market, snapping an unprecedented, nearly 11-year bull-market run. The Dow Jones Industrial Average sank 10% for its worst day since a nearly 23% drop on Oct. 19, 1987.
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European markets lost 12% in one of their worst days ever, even after the European Central Bank pledged to buy more bonds and offer more help for the economy.
The heavy losses came amid a cascade of cancellations and shutdowns across the globe — including Trump’s suspension of most travel to the U.S. from Europe — and rising worries that the White House and other authorities around the world can’t or won’t counter the economic damage from the coronavirus pandemic any time soon.
“The news just continues to get worse, and the travel ban puts an exclamation point on the weakness we’re going to see in global GDP and, in turn, the U.S.,” said Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab. “We’re starting to get a sense of how dire the impact on the economy is going to be. Each day the news doesn’t get better, it gets worse. It’s now has hit Main Street to a more significant degree.”
Stocks fell so fast on Wall Street at the opening bell that they triggered an automatic, 15-minute trading halt for the second time this week. The so-called circuit breakers were first adopted after the 1987 crash, and until this week hadn’t been tripped since 1997.
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The Dow briefly turned upward and halved its losses at one point in the afternoon after the Federal Reserve announced it would step in to ease “highly unusual disruptions” in the Treasury market. But the burst of momentum quickly faded.
Trump often points proudly to the big rise on Wall Street under his administration and warned a crowd at a rally last August that “whether you love me or hate, you gotta vote for me,” or else your 401(k) will go “down the tubes.”
Just last month, the Dow was boasting a nearly 50% gain since Trump took the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2017. By Thursday’s close, the Dow was clinging to a 6.9% gain, though it was still up nearly 16% since just before Trump’s election in November 2016.
On Wednesday, the Dow finished the day down more than 20% from its all-time high, set just last month, officially entering what is known as a bear market for the first time in over a decade.
The combined health crisis and retreat on Wall Street heightened fears of a recession.
“This is bad. The worst and fastest stock market correction in our career,” Chris Rupkey, chief financial economist at MUFG Union, said in a research note overnight. “The economy is doomed to recession if the country stops working and takes the next 30 days off. The stock market knows it.”
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The coronavirus has infected around 128,000 people worldwide and killed over 4,700. The death toll in the U.S. climbed to 39, with over 1,300 infections. For most people, the virus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illnesses, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the virus in a matter of weeks.
In a somber prime-time address Wednesday night from the White House, Trump announced the new travel ban as well as measures to extend loans, payroll tax cuts and other financial relief to individuals and businesses hurt by the crisis.
But the travel restrictions represented another heavy blow to the already battered airline and travel industries, and the other measures did not impress Wall Street.
“What markets are waiting for are efforts to contain the virus in a very aggressive way, ways we’ve seen in other countries,” said Nela Richardson, investment strategist at Edward Jones. “Short of that, nibbling around the edges, maybe doing something that can help a firm with a very short-term impact or help an employee, doesn’t hurt, but it’s not the bull’s-eye, and it’s not as targeted as the markets would like to see.”
Michael McCarthy of CMC Markets said: “The market judgment on that announcement is that it’s too little, too late.”
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The damage was worldwide and eye-popping. Among the big moves:
— Travel stocks again were among the hardest hit. Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean Cruises both lost roughly a quarter of their value. Another drop for United Airlines put its loss for the year at more than 50%.
— Oil continued its brutal week, with benchmark U.S. at $31 per barrel.
— In Asia, stocks in Thailand and the Philippines fell so fast that trading was temporarily halted. Japan’s Nikkei 225 sank 4.4% to its lowest close in four years, and South Korea’s market lost 3.9%.
Perhaps more alarming were complaints in recent days by investors that trading in the Treasury market wasn’t working well. For reasons that weren’t immediately clear, traders said they were seeing surprisingly large gaps in prices being offered by buyers and sellers. That threatened to cause the market to seize up.
In a surprise move, the Fed said it would pump in at least $1.5 trillion to help calm the market and facilitate trading.
After earlier thinking that the virus could remain mostly in China and that any dip in the economy would be followed by a quick rebound, investors are seeing the damage and disruptions mount, with Italy locking itself down, the NBA suspending games and authorities in the U.S. and beyond banning large gatherings and closing schools.
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