You're listening to Money Talks on Economist Radio, our weekly podcast on the markets,

the economy and the world of business. I'm Ratchna Shan Bogue, the Economist Finance Editor.

COVID-19 has reshaped the global economy. Growth is projected to shrink by nearly 5% in 2020.

Millions of people have lost their jobs. Governments and Central Banks have stretched

the limits of their fiscal and monetary powers.

Many businesses have not survived,

while others have been forced to reinvent themselves. Six months ago, the world looked very different. With fewer than a hundred thousand cases and 3,000 reported deaths, the World Health Organization had yet to declare a global pandemic.

The actions this newly affected countries take today will be the difference between a handful of cases and a larger cluster.

As we prepared to record money talks on one of my last days in the studio before we had to switch to

remote production. News came through that America's Federal Reserve had made an emergency

interest rate cut. The virus and the measures that are being taken to contain it will surely weigh on economic activity both here and abroad for some time.

It began to hit home that the world was heading not just for a health crisis but for an economic crisis like no other.

Six months on, I've invited my colleagues back, remotely this time, to check in on the global economy from small businesses to the trading floor.

Is it time for repeat prescriptions or a completely new economic diagnosis?

To find out I'm joined by Patrick Fowles, our Business Affairs Editor, Alice Fullwood, our Wall Street

correspondent, and VJ Vitesviren, our US Business Editor.

Hello all.

Hello, Rachel.

Hello, there.

When we spoke in March, we just had one of the worst weeks for stocks since 2008.

But since then markets have come roaring back.

The S&P 500 and Nasdac have broken records.

...