Supply Chains’ Big Test, U.K. Retail, India Slump: Eco Day

(Bloomberg) -- Welcome to Thursday, Europe. Here’s the latest news and analysis from Bloomberg Economics to help you start the day:

• It’s crunch time for global supply chains as the coronavirus pandemic peaks in the U.S. and Europe, and economies worldwide scramble to trade masks and other critical items
• U.K. retail sales slumped as the lockdown hammered High Street
• China’s historic slump lays bare what challenges policy makers face ahead; here’s where to look in China’s data dump for signs of rebound
• U.S. economic data is showing the deep hit in March and expected collapse in early April; the Federal Reserve says the economy contracted sharply as the virus swept across the country
• India could see its first shrinkage since 1980 as the country’s lockdown is extended
• Canada expanded its asset-buying in a bid to buffer the economy amid a sharpest-ever downturn
• Australia’s labor market unexpectedly added jobsin March while unemployment edged upward

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.