Europe’s share markets rise as global

European stock indexes are recovering some ground after huge falls on Thursday.

Markets have seen volatile trading as investors weigh the effect of the coronavirus against measures aimed at easing its economic impact.

Share markets across the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, Australia and India, have experienced major swings.

It came after the Dow and S&P 500 in the US saw their biggest one-day declines since 1987.

In recent days authorities around the world have announced emergency measures in an attempt to avoid recession.

The prohibition on short selling came after major falls in Italian and Spanish indexes on Thursday.

Short selling is speculation that the price of a stock will go down, and if there are more short sellers than buyers, the price will be pushed down.

Firms including football clubs Lazio and Juventus were on the list, as well as luxury car manufacturer Ferrari.

Market bounce

Stock market volatility has been very high, with investors deeply concerned about the economic effects of coronavirus.

In early trading on Friday, the London markets rose more than 3%, and Spain’s Ibex 35 rose more than 6%.

The FTSE MIB, the benchmark index for Milan’s Borsa Italiana, climbed more than 3% after a 16% fall on Thursday.

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Pound v dollar

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Why should I care if stock markets fall?

Many people’s initial reaction to “the markets” is that they are not directly affected, because they do not invest money.

Yet there are millions of people with a pension – either private or through work – who will see their savings (in what is known as a defined contribution pension) invested by pension schemes. The value of their savings pot is influenced by the performance of these investments.

So big rises or falls can affect your pension, but the advice is to remember that pension savings, like any investments, are usually a long-term bet.