In 2020, coronavirus shattered economic norms — and we might not have seen the end yet

Over a two-month period between March and April, shares on the Australian stock exchange went into free fall.

If you’ve ever jumped from a great height into a pool or lake, you’ll know that unnatural, uneasy feeling you experience when, about halfway down, every fibre in your body is yearning to hit the water.

I felt something akin to that on Monday morning of March 16.

On the way to the ASX to cover the story, the news hit that ASIC — the corporate cop — had directed several trading firms to cut their order volumes by up to 25 per cent.

Why? It was so the ASX could handle the avalanche of trading (mainly sell orders) going through the exchange.

The previous Friday had been one of the most volatile trading days in the history of the…