Europe’s response to COVID-19

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused dramatic loss of life and major damage to the European economy, but thanks to an exceptionally strong policy response, more devastating outcomes have been avoided. European real GDP is now projected to contract by 7 per cent in 2020, its biggest decline since World War II, followed by a rebound of 4.7 per cent in 2021. But the recovery’s strength will depend crucially on the course of the pandemic, people’s behaviour, and the degree of continued economic policy support.

Click here for the International Monetary Fund’s October 2020 European regional economic outlook.

Whatever it takes: Europe’s response to COVID-19

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Five lessons from the COVID-19 crisis

Five lessons from the COVID-19 crisis

The coronavirus pandemic sparked a surge of volatility across global financial markets. In this paper, MSCI looks at five key lessons for investors from the crisis, including that managing factors was more critical than picking stocks.

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The great lockdown

The global economy is projected to contract sharply by –3 per cent in 2020, much worse than during the 2008–09 financial crisis. In a baseline scenario--which assumes that the pandemic fades in the second half of 2020 and containment efforts can be gradually unwound—the global economy is projected to grow by 5.8 percent in 2021 as economic activity normalises, helped by policy support. The risks for even more severe outcomes, however, are substantial.

Global economic effects of COVID-19

Congressional Research Service, which provides research to the US Members of Congress outlines the global economic effects of COVID-19.

How RI should be responding to COVID-19

The PRI is working with signatories to further develop thinking on what the COVID-19 crisis means for investors. It is establishing two signatory participation groups to coordinate and develop investor responses, focusing on short term responses, and a future economic recovery phase.

Economic impact of containment measures

This OECD note provides illustrative estimates of the initial direct impact of shutdowns, based on an analysis of sectoral output and consumption patterns across countries and an assumption of common effects within each sector and spending category in all countries.

Greening the recovery

The COVID-19 crisis won’t have a lasting impact on climate change, but the response will—fiscal policymakers should thus aim to make the recovery green according to the IMF.

Corporate resilience during COVID-19

The authors study whether during the 2020 COVID-19 induced market crash, investors differentiate across companies based on a firm’s human capital, supply chain and operating crisis response.