The cost of the coronavirus so far: $7 trillion and counting

Since the outbreak of Covid-19 in January this year, governments and central banks around the world have been spending trillions of dollars in order to keep the global economy afloat. The scale of the economic impact so far has been unprecedented, hence why the policy response has been similarly dramatic.

 

According to an analysis by reporters at CNN, the bill so far is an incredible US$7 trillion. This figure is significantly more than has ever been spent by governments and central banks in global economic history. The money spent so far by the world’s largest economies is outlined below. 

Whilst the magnitude of the response from global leaders is undoubtedly huge, concerns still exist as to whether it will be enough to avoid a global depression which could be felt for years to come. The main reason for this is that we have never faced a challenge of this scale in our lifetimes. With no vaccine to stem the spread of Covid-19, it will continue its relentless destruction, and the only way to slow it down is by shutting up shop.

In the existence we have created, closing our doors to the outside world comes with a huge opportunity cost. The economic and social fallout is going to be astounding, and none us can even begin to predict exactly how much it will be, and what life will look like once the world reopens.

THINK LIKE AN ECONOMIST!

Q1. What is the role of a central bank?

Q2. What are the similarities and differences between the measures taken by the world’s major economies?

Q3. Explain what the opportunity cost is of closing our doors to the outside world?

Click here for the source article

TheCuriousEconomist

Recent Posts

Germany Unemployment Forecast for a Decade High

Germany is poised to witness a significant rise in unemployment, reaching levels not seen since…

3 days ago

India Set to Overtake Japan as World’s Third Largest Economy by 2025

India is poised to surpass Japan as the world’s third-largest economy by 2025, with a…

4 days ago

UK Aiming to Snub Out Smoking For Good

In a bold stride towards public health, the UK Parliament has recently advanced legislation aimed…

2 weeks ago

China’s Economy Surges with High-Tech Manufacturing Boost

China’s economy demonstrated a stronger-than-anticipated performance at the beginning of the year, primarily fueled by…

2 weeks ago

CHIPS act to fuel Samsung’s Texas Expansion

In a move to bolster the United States' semiconductor capacity, the CHIPS Act has earmarked…

3 weeks ago

Turkey’s Inflation Soars to 68.5%

Turkey's inflation rate surged to 68.5% in March, marking a slight increase from February's 67.1%,…

4 weeks ago