New York — Factories around the world suffered one of their grimmest months on record in March, as the coronavirus led to mass shutdowns and wreaked havoc on supply chains.

Figures from Asia to Europe and the US showed manufacturing taking a hit, with some measures at their lowest since the financial crisis more than a decade ago. In Italy, an index of output in IHS Markit’s monthly report dropped to the weakest since the series began in June 1997...

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