Asian markets mostly down as virus fears grow

Refiners across the world have been forced to halt operations because of steep falls in demand


Afp March 30, 2020
Refiners across the world have been forced to halt operations because of steep falls in demand. PHOTO: REUTERS

HONG KONG: Asian markets fell on Monday following a steep drop on Wall Street as the jubilation from last week’s enormous US stimulus package faded and investors returned their attention to the soaring infection and death rate of the coronavirus.

US President Donald Trump finally signed off the more than $2-trillion pump-priming measures on Friday, but equities – which enjoyed a rally for much of the week – ended on a negative note as dealers took profits.

While the disease ravages populations and the global economy grinds to a halt with 40% of the planet in lockdown, experts are struggling to get a grip on the scale of the crisis that is forecast to cause a worldwide recession.

Analysts say there are likely more dark days ahead, with Trump abandoning his timetable for life returning to normal in the United States and extending emergency restrictions for another month.

The president said he expected the country to “be well on our way to recovery” by June 1 – dropping his previous target of mid-April.

Meanwhile, senior US scientist Anthony Fauci issued a tentative prediction that COVID-19 could claim up to 200,000 lives in the US.

Governments and central banks have acted to shore up the global economy, pledging around $5 trillion in stimulus support, with China on Monday joining the party by lowering bank borrowing costs and pumping billions of dollars into financial markets, while Singapore also eased rates.

AxiCorp’s Stephen Innes said markets looked like they were “nearing policy fatigue where it becomes less effective, and as the surprise element diminishes, no one cares”.

“So, while policy responses in the US and Europe have been spectacular... the coronavirus keeps spreading globally, deepening fears of the economic and financial impact across countries. More market turmoil likely lies ahead.”

He also pointed out that with the corporate reporting season approaching, “now we are about to enter a vortex of bad earnings, bad economic data, and bankruptcies.”

The downbeat mood weighed on Asian equities, though most pared their morning losses. Tokyo and Hong Kong ended more than 1% down, while Shanghai was off 0.9%.

Mumbai and Manila lost more than 2%, while Taipei slipped 0.7%. Seoul was flat, while there were also losses in Bangkok and Jakarta.

Singapore slid more than 4% as investors brushed off the city-state’s monetary policy easing measures that came days after data showed it was heading for a deep recession.

However, Sydney soared 7% in its best one-day performance following a more than 5% slide on Friday.

Traders also were buoyed by data pointing to a slowdown in new infections in Australia as well as an $80-billion government economic support package that was unveiled after markets closed but was widely expected.

In early trade, London and Paris each lost around 2.8% while Frankfurt was down 1.6%.

“The big question for markets is whether the huge stimulus introduced so far across the globe will be enough to help the global economy withstand the economic shock from the COVID-19 containment measures,” said National Australia Bank’s Rodrigo Catril.

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