U.S. finance and exchanges say market must stay open during epidemic

LONDON, March 20 (Reuters) - Keeping markets open in the United States during the coronavirus epidemic is critical for maintaining investor confidence, exchanges and market industry bodies said in a joint statement on Friday.

"Keeping all U.S. financial markets open is essential to the well-being of the general economy and vital to maintaining and bolstering investor confidence, particularly once the economy recovers from the effects of this pandemic," the statement said.

Signatories to the statement included the American Bankers Association, CBOE, Nasdaq, CME, the Institute of International Finance and the International Swaps and Derivatives Association.

(Reporting by Huw Jones; Editing by Kevin Liffey)