* Coronavirus panic-selling shreds world markets
* MSCI's world equity index down 16% this week so far
* Italian govt debt hit again as death toll passes 1,000
* European shares steady on stimulus hopes
* Graphic: World FX rates in 2020 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh
By Abhinav Ramnarayan
LONDON, March 13 (Reuters) - World stocks were set on Friday
for their worst week since the 2008 financial crisis, with
coronavirus panic-selling hitting nearly every asset class and
investors fretting that central bank action may not be enough to
soothe the pain.
European stock markets were slightly higher on Friday on
hopes governments will step up spending, but only after several
sessions of sustained, heavy losses as investors faced the
possibility of a global recession that could be prolonged.
Warning signs still flashed, with Italian government bonds
tanking again on Friday morning, after suffering their worst day
in nine years in the previous session.
Italy and Spain meanwhile imposed trading curbs, banning
short-selling of dozens of stocks, to stem a market rout
triggered by the coronavirus outbreak that saw European stock
exchanges post their worst-ever losses on Thursday. The MSCI world equity index .MIWD00000PUS , which tracks
shares in 49 countries, hit a three-year low in Asian hours and
is down 16% this week so far -- its worst run since October 2008
when Lehman Brothers' collapse triggered the global crisis.
"Markets are quite prepared for a period of falling output.
The real fear is that you get second-round effects that result
in a nastier, longer recession in the global economy," said
Investec economist Philip Shaw.
"That is going to be very difficult to escape from given the
monetary pedal is very close to the floor in many
jurisdictions."
MSCI's main European Index .MSER was up 2.7% at the open,
after having fallen more than 20% over the past week.
Earlier, Japan's Nikkei .N225 fell 10% before paring
losses to close 6% lower. Australia's S&P/ASX200 .AXJO had its
wildest trading day on record, falling past 8% before surging in
the last minutes of trade to settle 4.4% higher at the close.
MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan
.MIAPJ0000PUS wobbled 0.1% higher by late afternoon after
falling more than 5% in morning trade.
The slight recovery came as central banks from the United
States to Australia pumped liquidity into their financial
systems and as hopes grew that U.S. Democrats and Republicans
could pass a stimulus package on Friday. PAIN
There was no such recovery in Italian government bonds, with
the benchmark 10-year yield -- which moves inversely to price --
rising another 16 basis points in early trade. IT10YT=RR
The yield had leapt by 55 bps on Thursday -- its worst day
since November 2011, near the peak of the euro zone debt crisis
-- after the European Central Bank kept rates steady and put the
onus firmly on governments, sending markets into a tailspin.
Italy is one of the worst-hit countries in Europe from the
spread of coronavirus, with the death toll shooting past 1,000
people and the government ordering blanket closures of
restaurants, bars and almost all shops. Oil LCOc1 steadied on Friday, after having dropped 7% on
Thursday on U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise travel ban
and on a flood of cheap supply coming into the market from Saudi
Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Major currencies stabilised after furious dollar buying
overnight, with the euro EUR= finding a footing around $1.1200
and the Aussie AUD=D3 recovering to $0.6300.
For Reuters Live Markets blog on European and UK stock
markets, please click on: LIVE/
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