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Bolivia has recorded its 100,000th case of coronavirus and health officials say the pandemic is unlikely to peak until September — a month before the country holds presidential elections. The government said on Monday that the total number of cases had risen to 100,344, with 4,058 deaths. Bolivia is recording about 1,400 new cases a day on average.
The Nasdaq Composite registered a fresh all-time high, and the S&P 500 inched closer to its own record with technology shares kicking off the week with solid gains. The S&P 500 was up 0.3 per cent to about 3,382, bringing the benchmark index within five points of its closing high set in February. The tech-heavy Nasdaq jumped 1 per cent.
German industry has welcomed a proposal by the country’s finance minister, Olaf Scholz, to extend the period that payments are made under the government’s short-time working scheme. Germany operates a scheme known as Kurzarbeit under which employees are paid when they are forced to work fewer hours or stop work altogether because of a crisis.
Italy clamped down on nightlife and entertainment as fears rose that relaxed attitudes, especially among young people, could lead to a surge in Covid-19 cases. Nightclubs are closed and face masks required at night, even outdoors, from Monday until next month. Municipal police patrolled Rome landmarks, pictured, to tell people to wear masks.
Singapore is set to add S$8bn ($5.8bn) in fiscal stimulus to help support businesses as they face the challenge of a pandemic crisis that has brought the island nation to its first recession in more than a decade. The government plans to introduce measures to support jobs and create new ones, with a specific emphasis on more mature workers, deputy prime minister Heng Swee Keat said in a speech on Monday.
Sustainable bond issuance could reach $375bn in 2020, as the coronavirus crisis drives demand for responsible investing, Moody’s forecast on Monday. Global sustainable bond issuance rose to a quarterly record of $99.9bn between April and June, a 65 per cent increase from the first three months of the year, the ratings agency said.