LONDON - 1/COVID THROWS US ELECTION CURVEBALL
Donald Trump has joined the list of world leaders who fell prey to the coronavirus after shrugging off risks, scorning masks and making public appearances without following distancing guidelines. But a U.S. president testing positive, four weeks before elections, will cause far more ructions than the recent illnesses of the Brazilian or British leaders.
His quarantine period, as campaigning enters its final stretch, could help Democratic challenger Joe Biden cement his sizeable poll lead. But the possibility of Trump being hospitalised, any cabinet members falling ill, or calls to postpone elections will mean a major setback for stock markets.
A rush to hedge such risks is lifting gold prices as well as equity and currency volatility. In reality, all bets are off -- even Betfair has suspended punts on the election outcome.
2/RECOVERY ROAD
European finance ministers meet on Monday to discuss the implementation of a 750 billion-euro coronavirus recovery fund, widely hailed as game-changing when it was announced earlier this year. But squabbles over disbursements threaten to sour the mood.
Germany is proposing a rule of law conditionality scheme for countries accessing funds from the bloc; some lawmakers favour an even stronger link. In July, the EU declined to settle details to avoid vetoes from Hungary and Poland. So the meeting could well see an outcry from those two countries.
&uuid=(email))