Nearly 200,000 Italian companies ask to operate

02:39, April 26, 2020

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  Nearly 100 listed companies in China report doubled net profit in Q1

  BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) -- A total of 94 listed companies in Chinas A-share market have seen their net profit double in the first quarter (Q1) despite the bite of COVID-19, the China Securities Journal reported.File photo: CGTNAs of Sunday, 866 listed companies released their Q1 financial performance reports, with 344 of which registering higher profits, beating market expectations, said the newspaper, citing data from financial information provider Wind Info.While the epidemic put a damper on industries such as entertainment, auto parts and real estate, companies in the sectors of chemical products, computer applications, medical devices and food processing mostly gained because of the increasing orders.Some burgeoning sectors, like online education, are expected to see a boon in the long term since they were widely accepted when people were stranded at home to stem the spread of the virus.As the epidemic is gradually contained in the country, the operation of most listed companies will be back to pre-outbreak levels, said Fu Lichun, an analyst with Northeast Securities, adding that companies related to new infrastructure and online services will have a positive outlook.

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  Italian PM to announce reopening plan

  Italys Prime Minister said on Tuesday that by the weekend he would detail the steps the country will take to gradually loosen restrictions, reopen the economy and emerge from the coronavirus crisis.A bookstore employee explains safety instructions to customers in Rome on April 20, 2020 after the Italian government decided the re-opening of certain commercial activities amid a lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of the COVID-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus. (Photo: AFP)Italy, which has declared more coronavirus deaths than any other European country , has been under national quarantine since March 9, with some regions imposing lock-downs even earlier.The quarantine period, which has been extended twice, is due to expire on May 3.Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte is caught between trying to avoid a fresh spike in infections of the virus - which has killed over 24,000 people in Italy - while avoiding additional damage to the economy."I would like to be able to say, lets open everything. Right away," Conte wrote on Facebook. "But such a decision would be irresponsible. It would make the contagion curve rise uncontrollably and would jeopardise all the efforts that weve made until now."He laid out the difficulties of the so-called Phase 2 in reopening the economy, saying a plan would be laid out "before the end of this week."A reasonable expectation is that we will apply it from May 4."We have to reopen on the basis of policy that takes into consideration all the details and cuts across all the data. A serious policy, scientific," Conte wrote.In an example, he cited how, in allowing businesses to reopen, officials needed to consider how workers would get to and from work, in order to avoid congestion which could open the door to new contagion.