Collapsing Sentiment, Easing Lockdowns, More Stimulus: Eco Day

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

• Sentiment among U.S. small businesses collapsed in March by the most on record and owners’ outlooks deteriorated swiftly amid the economic disruptions caused by the global health crisis
• U.S. Congress’s next stimulus bill to prop up the economy during the crisis will be at least another $1 trillion, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Democrats on a private conference call
• President Donald Trump is easing restrictions on exports of masks and other protective equipment to fight the Covid-19 pandemic just days after their introduction as he confronts a backlash from allies around the world
• Latin America’s economy was already going backward when the coronavirus hit. Now it’s at risk of losing a whole decade
• Japan announced a record 108.2 trillion yen ($994 billion) stimulus package to shield the economy as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a state of emergency
• EU finance ministers are seeking to endorse support measures worth more than half a trillion euros ($544 billion) today. If enough headway is made, leaders could debate and sign-off on the measures later in the week
• Meanwhile, here’s the inside story of how the ECB went from “no need” to “no limits” in just four weeks in its own response to the coronavirus fallout
• Italy and Norway are starting to look at easing their lockdowns after Denmark and Austria became the first two countries in Europe to announce plans to loosen restrictions. At the same time, Spain reported an increase in deaths and new cases
• The crisis is shining a spotlight on how many of the biggest companies treat essential workers
• France is trying a radical new way of measuring the economy as conventional statistics lose meaning under the nation’s lockdown
• Australia’s central bank kept its interest rate and yield target unchanged, while its counterpart in New Zealand boosted quantitative easing

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