Your Weekend Reading: The Worst Is Yet to Come

(Bloomberg) --

It was the fastest-ever descent from an all-time high: the end of the bull market seemed to come out of nowhere. For some, the speed of the meltdown was a cause for concern—good luck if you tried to access your day trading account. As central banks and governments stumble into action, John Authers writes in Bloomberg Opinion that history suggests the worst is yet to come.

What you’ll want to read this weekend

This postcard from Italy explains what a western democracy looks like when it shuts down entirely. Thousands of miles away in Seattle, the case of Patient Zero offers some hints as to how, and how not to, fight the outbreak. Texas is also feeling the pain.

Working remotely is the new normal. French car giant PSA Group has a war room while some big names in finance are implementing staggered work plans. And with a lot of kids at home, the surge in gaming traffic is putting a huge strain on the internet.

Covid-19 is teaching us that the classroom isn’t really necessary for learning, Stephen L. Carter writes for Bloomberg Opinion. As for Britain’s posh private schools, they’re establishing franchises in countries with reputations for corruption.

Here’s an inside account of how the White House decided to stop flights from most of Europe. The pandemic, and the handling of it by various governments, may restore confidence in the establishment, Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait writes for Bloomberg Opinion.

A historic ocean liner may get a second life as a hotel, or even an Airbnb. And regarding the startup company’s plan to list on the stock market, the latest financial numbers don’t make for happy reading.

What you’ll need to know next week

• Saudi Aramco reports a week after flooding the market with oil.
• Elon Musk is expected to testify in defense of the SolarCity deal.
• Also in court, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu is on trial for corruption.
• U.S. retail sales are due, but the data may not be that reliable.
• St. Patrick’s Day will be a little less rowdy than normal.

What you’ll want to see in Bloomberg Green

Global warming is disturbing water cycles on the roof of the world. The rush to secure water resources has added to tensions in a region where the world’s two most populous countries, China and India, sit upriver from a host of smaller neighbors, and where India and Pakistan are avowed enemies.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Rovella at drovella@bloomberg.net

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