Newspaper headlines: 'Prepare to stay home' and stock market 'meltdown'

BBC NewsStaff
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The front of the Guardian - showing a stock market trader with his head in his hands - captures the mood of desperation as share prices plunged across the world.

A graph framing the image illustrates the precipitous fall in the FTSE 100 as £125bn was wiped off the value of Britain's leading companies.

One portfolio manager tells the Financial Times that in just a couple of weeks, investor sentiment has swung from complacency to panic.

"Meltdown" is the headline in the Daily Mirror, which describes how pensioners and those nearing retirement risk being hardest hit as the value of their pension funds dived.

The New York Times warns that "crashing financial markets" are increasing the risk of a vicious downward cycle that could inflict serious harm on the global economy.

The Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Express lead on a warning from England's chief medical officer that anyone with just a minor cough or cold will soon be asked to stay at home for a week to help slow the spread of coronavirus.

The Times notes that Britain is now reporting more daily cases than China. It also points out while the share price of virtually every UK-listed company fell on Monday - an exception at one point was Dignity which arranges funerals, although it, too, was later down.

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Rishi Sunak replaced Sajid Javid as chancellor last month

The Daily Telegraph reports that Chancellor Rishi Sunak is expected to use his Budget on Wednesday to announce financial handouts for businesses affected by coronavirus.

Ideas under discussion include the Treasury underwriting bank loans to encourage lending to firms, and small businesses being offered loans at cheap interest rates.

The back pages of the Guardian and the Times highlight a warning to the government that some League One and League Two football clubs in England fear going out of business because of a loss of ticket revenue if games have to be played behind closed doors.

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Also featuring on some of the front pages are pictures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Westminster Abbey in their last royal engagement before they start a new life in Canada.

"An ocean apart" is one caption in the Daily Telegraph - despite the couple putting on what the paper calls a "display of unity" with the Royal Family.

The Times claims Harry and Meghan's swansong was an "awkward adieu" with little interaction between the prince and his brother, William. "Brothers at arm's length" is the Daily Express' verdict.

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And finally, adjustable standing desks have become a common sight in offices, but the Daily Telegraph and the i newspaper bring news that we should go one step further for the good of our health by squatting or kneeling.

Scientists believe we could learn from a hunter-gatherer tribe in Tanzania whose crouching for hours on end has been found to ward off chronic illnesses associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

The Telegraph admits that squatting at a computer screen isn't an easy option, but says that some in the average office hierarchy would welcome others adopting a kneeling position.