Conor Sen, Columnist

Financial Markets Need a Temporary 9/11-Style Shutdown

A close followed by a fresh start could do a lot to contain the panic. 

Shouldn’t markets be next?

Photographer: Alex Wong/Getty Images North America
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The U.S. should temporarily close the nation's financial markets, maybe for a week or more, just as we did in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11.

We're quickly realizing just how drastically daily life is about to change, at least for a few weeks. We've seen similar dramatic disruptions in China, South Korea, Italy and other European countries as they curtail social activities to slow the spread of the coronavirus.