Control of the coronavirus gives China the world’s best-performing stockmarket

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THE START of February seems an eternity ago. Then, almost all concern about the coronavirus outbreak was focused on China, home to more than 99% of confirmed infections. America had seven known cases and Italy just two. The epidemic had not even received its official name. Less than six weeks later, covid-19, as the disease is now known, has become a global pandemic (for full coverage of the pandemic, see our coronavirus hub). Italy is under a country-wide quarantine. The virus is spreading rapidly in America. But China is gradually getting back to work, having wrestled its outbreak under control.