London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 22, 2026

Goodbye, Dow 30,000! Hello, Dow 10,000?

Goodbye, Dow 30,000! Hello, Dow 10,000?

At least 129.8 million Americans were ordered to stay home by their respective state governments. No malls. No movies. No bars. No social gatherings of 10 more. Spring break has been cancelled. DisneyWorld is closed. It is probably only a matter of time before all domestic travel is banned, except for emergency situations.
We’re pretty close.

American Airlines last week announced a 75% cut to its operations, while United plans to cut 90% of international services scheduled for April. At this point who is flying other than a doctor? And if not a doctor, where are these people going? Easter Island?

The recession that well-known comedian and HBO show host Bill Maher hoped for and Bloomberg headline writers were firing off incessantly last year for reasons that were both political (Maher) and financial (inverted yield curve) may be coming after all.

If half the country can basically only go to the supermarket, the pharmacy and the doctor’s office over the next two weeks, with skeleton crews at warehouses and manufacturing plants and the only people who can be productive are those who can work from home, then what are we to think when the other half of the country faces the same set of circumstances?

On Friday, Barclays lowered its forecast for the U.S. economy in 2020, going from around 0.8% to -0.6%.

The Federal Reserve and Treasury are working on financing programs that could be worth $4 trillion, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Sunday on FOX.

That’s double what National Economic Advisor Larry Kudlow put out there on Friday.

Today’s number from Mnuchin is part of a bipartisan stimulus effort that includes the unlimited checkbook of the Fed to get liquidity and cash to businesses that need it most.

The longer national-shutdown guidelines remain in place, with 8 state governments as of Sunday closing all "non-essential" businesses statewide, the more economic growth will be suppressed.

Short term loans to small businesses will be needed to help companies not only cover payroll so as not to fire workers, but to cover other things, like leases. Who doubts a debt moratorium is right around the corner?

In China’s case, draconian measures took economic growth offline for about two months. If the U.S. did, it would mean a loss of about 16% of economic growth in a full calendar year, analysts from Bretton Woods Research, a boutique, macro investment research firm in New Jersey wrote in a note to clients over the weekend.

Friday’s drop in equities was due to a spate of lockdowns, namely in California and New York. It is only a matter of time before all 50 states follow.

“In the near-term, there’s no reason to hold equities so long as the shutdowns continue and spread,” says Vladimir Signorelli, head of Bretton Woods Research. “Frightening valuations could be in store, such as Dow 14,500 or even 10,000.”

The 12 states with the highest number of COVID-19 illnesses reported as of Friday account for nearly 60% of U.S. GDP, based on 2018 Bureau of Economic Analysis figures.

The pandemic has rolled back all of the stock market gains of the Trump presidency, but few with any market sense would blame government for the market’s reaction to the fast spreading virus.

The global pandemic has also helped crash commodities. Oil was already in trouble thanks to a breakdown in OPEC production talks with Russia two weeks ago. West Texas crude closed at $22.43 a barrel on Friday and hit $20.37 on Wednesday. Worth remembering, oil was $45.90 on March 5, just before the Saudi-Russia sell-off began.

At least $26 trillion in global market capitalization has been lost since February. While that is mostly all speculative capital, it is a sentiment indicator for publicly traded businesses who take on less risk when they see their share price in free fall.

Retirees, insurers, college endowments, all have a lot less money saved today than they did four short weeks ago.

Meanwhile, in the EU, politicians are trying to reassure the public on one hand, while warning that nearly two-thirds of the populous will catch the bug on the other. With mortality rates in Italy raging over 9%, a two-thirds infection rate would bring war death tolls.

For that reason, the market sell-off isn’t over yet.

Futures in Asia point to some significant downside following the U.S. equity market sell-off late Friday.

“We expect the next wave to be continued profit warnings, defaults and a collapse in economic indicators,” says Sebastien Galy, senior macro strategist at Nordea Asset Management in Luxembourg. “Over time the Fed and U.S. Government will win the day. We should increasingly find a firm footing.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Parliamentary Inquiry Highlights Urgent Need to Address Housing Shortage as Scottish Completions Hit Eleven-Year Low
United Kingdom and Singapore Sign Comprehensive Financial Agreement to Deepen Digital and Sustainable Market Ties
Greggs Announces Plan to Close Four Manufacturing Facilities and Cut Seven Hundred and Forty Jobs
International Monetary Fund Raises United Kingdom Economic Growth Forecast While Warning of Inflationary Pressures
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs Onto Gas to Lower Household Bills
Housebuilding Across Scotland Plummets to Eleven-Year Low Despite Government Pledges to Tackle National Housing Emergency
Greggs Announces Factory Closures Across Northern England and Scotland Affecting Seven Hundred Forty Jobs
United Kingdom and Singapore Conclude Eleventh Financial Dialogue in Singapore to Deepen Cooperation on Digital Finance and Capital Markets
Energy Security and Net Zero Committee Urges Government to Shift Policy Costs to Gas Bills and Tap Windfall Profits to Lower Consumer Prices
British Broadcasting Corporation Announces Major Cost-Cutting Overhaul to Close Linear Broadcast Services for Television Channels BBC Three and BBC Scotland Alongside Digital Radio Station BBC Radio Four Extra
London Capital Markets Face Renewed Scrutiny After High-Profile Offerings Underperform Post-Listing
Green Party Wins Historic First Westminster Parliamentary By-Election in Gorton and Denton
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds Unveils Sweeping Regulatory Overhaul for English Water Industry
United Kingdom Health Security Agency Confirms Thirty-Four Cases in Kent Meningitis Outbreak
Ministry of Defence Prepares Heat Pump Subsidy Cuts to Fund Urgent Military Modernization
British and European Union Officials Schedule Long-Awaited Bilateral Leaders Summit for November Twentieth
Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey Urges Strict Fiscal Credibility to Protect British Bond Markets
United Kingdom Inflation Rises to Three Point One Percent Driven by Escalating Fuel Costs
Profit Warnings Among London-Listed Companies Reach Two-Year High Amid Global Energy Shocks
Chancellor John Healey Signals Targeted Tax Changes on Banks and London Corporate Offices Ahead of Budget
British Government Reallocates Twenty-Five Per Cent of International Climate Finance to Global Biodiversity Projects
Initial British Carbon Border Taxes Set to Undercut Parallel European Union Tariffs on Industrial Imports
Whitehall Prepares National Zero-Interest Loan Initiative to Accelerate Domestic Heat Pump and Solar Adoption
European Union Offers British Automakers Access to Hybrid Vehicle Trade Protections Subject to Strict Regulatory Alignment
British Probation Officers Threaten Widespread Industrial Action After Rejecting Five Per Cent Government Pay Offer
Microsoft Abandons Major British Artificial Intelligence Data Centre Citing Severe National Grid Power Constraints
United Kingdom Inflation Accelerates to Three Point Four Per Cent Ahead of Chancellor John Healey's Inaugural Autumn Budget
Surging Cloned Number Plates Severely Complicate Traffic Enforcement and Police Investigations
Mounting Opposition Challenges Planned Rollout of Autonomous Taxis Across London
Influential Think Tank Urges Rejoining European Union to Navigate Geopolitical Crises
Government Review Recommends Slashing Benefits to Fund Youth Employment Initiatives
Senior Minister Shabana Mahmood Seeks New Law Enforcement Pact With European Union
Airbus Executive Warns Britain Risks Losing Crucial Role in European Space Industry
Exorbitant Electricity Costs Push British Steelmakers to Worst Competitive Position in Three Years
British Food and Beverage Exports to European Union Collapse by Over a Third Since Brexit
Up to Twenty English Maternity Units Face Impending Closure Due to Safety and Staffing Crises
Government Declares Severe Drought Across Southern England Following Record Dry Spell
Corporate Profit Warnings Reach Two-Year High Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Costs
International Monetary Fund Warns Chancellor John Healey Against Proposed Bank Tax Raid
Northern Ireland Secures Favorable Agricultural Export Agreement with European Union
Scottish Government Approves Major Offshore Floating Wind Farm Near Aberdeenshire
High Speed Two Rail Project Faces Three Billion Pound Cost Escalation on Initial Phase
National Health Service Warns of Winter Capacity Crisis Across English Hospitals
Tata Steel Confirms Two Thousand Job Cuts at Port Talbot to Fund Green Transition
Global Microchip Developer Announces Three Billion Pound Semiconductor Plant in Cambridge
United Kingdom Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute Proposes Mandatory Licensing for Generative Models
United Kingdom Commits Additional Long-Range Weapons and Air Defenses to Ukraine
British Chancellor Overhauls Infrastructure Financing to Bypass Borrowing Constraints
Bank of England Holds Benchmark Interest Rate at Four Point Five Percent
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth Confirms Constitutional Discussions Over Welsh Independence During Initial Bilateral Call with Prime Minister
×