Quants pitch in to improve pandemic models

The finance industry’s quants are trying their hand at modelling the virus and its economic impact

When infection and mortality rates become the language of markets, even the brightest minds in finance are left scratching their heads.

Quants fared no better than anyone else as the coronavirus pandemic that began in Wuhan, China late last year spread worldwide, shutting down economies and crushing markets in its wake. One investor compares the wreckage to the financial crisis and 9/11 happening at once.

As the scale of the crisis sinks in, many quants have found a new purpose: modelling the