New virus could disrupt global economy as markets, consumers change behaviour !
A deadly new virus that emerged in China is raising concerns beyond the public health sphere as experts warn about the potential economic cost of a global outbreak that is already drawing comparisons to the SARS epidemic 17 years ago.
Stock markets around the world fell Thursday as health authorities rushed to monitor and contain the outbreak, and keep it from spreading globally.
Asian markets bore the brunt of the effects, with Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index down 1.52 per cent, the Shanghai Stock Exchange plunging 2.75 per cent and the Tokyo Stock Exchange down 0.78 per cent.
North American markets fell initially before ending the day on a flat note, with the S&P/TSX composite index up 0.12 per cent, the Dow Jones industrial average down 0.09 per cent, S&P 500 index up 0.11 per cent and the Nasdaq composite up 0.20 per cent.
On Thursday, the World Health Organization decided against declaring the outbreak a global emergency for now.
“The cost to the global economy can be quite staggering, in negative GDP terms, if this outbreak reaches epidemic proportions as until this week, the market was underestimating the potential of the flu spreading,” Stephen Innes, chief Asian strategist for AxiCorp, said in a report.