Tag: corona virus

In its Global Economic Outlook 2020, Fitch said the number of people affected by coronavirus will keep rising in the coming weeks but that the outbreak will remain contained. However, there are downside risks to this situation. Fitch in December 2019 projected India's growth at 5.6 percent for 2020-21 and 6.5 percent in the following year. "Supply-chain disruptions are expected to hit investments and exports. We see GDP growth to remain broadly steady at 5.1 percent in the fiscal year 2020-2021 following growth of 5.0 percent in 2019-2020," Fitch said. For 2021-22, Fitch projected India's growth to be 6.4 percent. Read more

Continuous selling for six sessions in the Indian markets in tune with global trends that have tumbled as coronavirus fears escalated has shaken investor confidence. Total investor wealth has dropped by Rs 11.4 trillion in the past six trading days to Rs 147 trillion, as per the exchange data. On 28th Feb 2020, the S&P BSE Sensex tumbled 3 percent, in intra-day deals to 38,565 levels. From a level of 41,323 on Wednesday, February 19, 2020, the index has tanked 6.7 percent in the past six trading days. There is more pain in store for global markets in the backdrop of the coronavirus scare. But it is widely felt that selling in the Indian markets has been overdone as the country has remained relatively immune to the pandemic till now. “Indian markets have been following the global trend and are better-off with the energy and commodity prices falling."If one is convinced about the long-term prospects, this is the time to buy fundamentally sound companies,” experts opined

The coronavirus outbreak in China will have a limited impact on India but the global GDP and trade will definitely get affected due to the large size of the Chinese economy, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das has said. The pharmaceutical and electronic manufacturing sectors in India are dependent on China for inputs and they may be impacted, Das told. Alternatives are being explored to overcome these issues, he said. For India, China is an important trading partner and policymakers both in the government and the monetary authority "are very watchful of the developments that are taking place," Mr Das said. He noted that the critical thing to be watched and monitored now is how quickly Chinese authorities are able to contain the problem. For India, he said, the important aspect is manufacturer should be able to quickly develop alternative sources.

Stocks in Shanghai opened 8.7 percent lower in early Monday, while shares in the southern Chinese boomtown of Shenzhen fell 9 percent. The markets had been closed since Jan. 23 for the Lunar New Year holiday, and government officials extended that closure until Monday while the authorities dealt with the outbreak. Read more