The biggest news of the last few days is unquestionably the swine flu. The swine flu outbreak is spreading across the globe and fears are growing that this could be become a swine flu epidemic that no one is ready to handle. To this point the largest numbers of swine flu cases by far have occurred in Mexico, but Asia and the United States are both beginning to report more cases of the Swine Flu as the days go by.

What will the Swine Flu mean to the overall global economy? The one thing that the Swine Flu will do that will hurt the global economy in a big way is create a whole lot of fear. Right now the economy around the globe is already on very delicate footing and isn’t prepared to take a major hit from consumer fear. The travel industry is one that would be particularly hit hard by the Swine Flu continuing to spread and cause more people to think twice before going far from home. If the Swine Flu is confined fairly well, or even if there is a Swine Flu vaccination at some point as some have spoken of, that could greatly reduce the threat to the economy.

The market will likely sit back and see how things go for a while before reacting in a major way to the Swine Flu news. Some stocks have already benefited from the Swine Flu fears, as investors look for Swine Flu stock picks. Stocks as a whole haven’t moved much due to the news of the outbreak, but if more details come out that show it is worse or not as bad as expected, one would assume the market would react in kind.

The jury is still out on what the Swine Flu will do to the economy and the stock market worldwide. Some areas will be hit harder than others, but the hope is that this will not become an epidemic. I hope the people of the world stay safe and healthy and the economy is able to navigate its way through the numerous issues it already has to deal with.