The outbreak of COVID-19 left few parts of the global economy untouched, with national governments struggling to coordinate swift responses. A multi-trillion dollar stimulus package in the United States, and further measures from governments around the world, spurred equities over the week, leading to record gains.
Category: Asia-Pacific
Market Spice: The Disease and the Cure
Market Spice: Week of 16 March 2020 Governments moved globally to combat the spread of the coronavirus, and to mitigate the effects of these measures on their economies. Uncertainty about the duration of the outbreak, and the policies halting social and economic activity used to combat it, produced a painful week for markets. Goldman Sachs…
Market Spice: It was the Best of Days, it was the Worst of Days
On Wednesday, the World Health Organisation officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Markets recorded both record losses and record gains as the U.S. confronted the outbreak, with the S&P 500 dropping 8.8% overall for the week.
Market Spice: A Supply Chain is as Strong as its Weakest Link
By Delany Higgins Market Spice: Week of March 2nd, 2020 The spread of COVID-19 caused further volatility in markets this week, with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development warning that the outbreak could halve global economic growth for the year. The OECD cut their global forecast to as low as 1.5%, from 2.9% prior…
Unscathed or Undetected? Southeast Asia and Coronavirus
Should we be relieved? Or should we consider this the calm before the storm?
Market Spice: Week of February 24th, 2020
Global markets suffered dramatically over the course of the week as traders assessed the potential damage caused by the COVID-19 outbreak. On Thursday, a spokesperson from the International Monetary Fund warned that it was likely to downgrade its forecasts from global growth.
Market Spice: Week of February 10th
Week of February 10th, 2020 Delany Higgins Asia In China, the CSI 300 and Shanghai Composite Indexes rose moderately, while Japan’s Nikkei 225 closed slightly down. Due to new measurement techniques, China announced over 14,800 additional cases of COVID-19, though the rate of spread appeared to be decreasing. China-U.S. relations faltered again after last week’s…
Coronavirus’s Most Critical Patient
The brunt of the reaction has focused on the epicentre of the outbreak: the city of Wuhan, in Hubei province, though it has also extended to other areas in mainland China. If similar measures to those taken in Hubei were taken in Hong Kong, however, it could quickly spell a death-sentence for the pro-democracy movement.
Market Spice: This Week’s Roundup
On Monday, following the Lunar New Year holiday, the People’s Bank of China announced their plans to inject the equivalent of $21.7 in liquidity into the economy, as well as other measures amounting to $57 billion.
Market Spice: Global Markets Catch Coronavirus
Week of January 27th, 2020 Delany Higgins Asia The impacts of coronavirus, declared a global health emergency on Thursday by the WHO, have spread far beyond China. Roughly 10,000 cases were reported before the end of the week. Hong Kong stocks sank, but with the emergence of some positive economic data, including on Chinese manufacturing,…
Investing in a Sustainable Society
By Hugh Gammon First created by the UK to fund a rehabilitation program for convicts in 2010, Social Impact Bonds (SIB) provide a meeting place for charity and capital, promising a return on investment from funding social initiatives and charitable efforts. The concept is now gaining increasing traction and publicity in the financial sphere as…
Market Spice: This Week’s Roundup
Week of January 20th, 2020 Delany Higgins Asia The coronavirus outbreak caused the most substantial single-day decline in Chinese stocks in the past eight months, with the Shanghai Composite Index losing 3.8% over the course of the week. Japanese stocks fell, though the yen strengthened somewhat. Japanese exports have been falling, and it is unclear…
