Apple

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Asian markets have fallen sharply, following a record drop in the US and another sharp fall in London yesterday. Investors fear the coronavirus outbreak could trigger a global recession.

"We have had the first warning signs and what markets are trying to digest is how long this is going to go on and what the economic damage will be," says Sonja Laud, chief investment officer at Legal & General Investment Management.

She added that firms like Apple are struggling with both the supply and demand for their business - with supply chain disruption making it difficult to manufacture the phones, and some of its customer base in China stuck at home in quarantine.

Eyes are now turning to governments to introduce fiscal stimulus to prop up the markets.

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China wants workers to quickly return to factories in areas less affected by the coronavirus.

That has led companies and the government to step into the breach and provide free transport back to work.

Millions of workers were furloughed at the end of January to battle the spread of the virus.

So governments and businesses are paying for planes, trains and buses to help them return to work.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday that factories in areas of low risk of infection should reopen.

But workers have been struggling to find transport from traditional holiday visits home which has led local governments and companies to lend a hand.