Coronavirus: ECB takes note as Air France, Maersk and Foxconn count the costs

The ECB’s growing confidence that the eurozone economy was on the mend may suffer a setback as the continent reels from the economic fallout of the coronavirus, a leading economist has said.

The deadly virus has paralysed or disrupted a large part of China’s manufacturing — and the knock-on effect on many global businesses has been significant, because China makes so many products for world markets, and its consumers account for a healthy slice of spending on consumer goods.