Stay Immune To Market Viruses

Invest systematically and iron out volatility triggered by disruptions such as the Covid 19 Pandemic

- Jiju Vidyadharan

The rapid spread of the novel coronavirus (Covid 19) across the globe has got investors worried about the impact this will have on the financial markets, especially equities. In such a situation, the question on the minds of investors is whether to stay invested or exit.

Equity indices worldwide, including India, is having a tumultuous 2020. The Dow Jones and FTSE 100 indices tanked about 26 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively, while emerging market indices RTS (Russia) and Bovespa (Brazil) plunged 38 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively, on year-to-date (YTD) basis.

The story was no different back home with the Indian benchmark indices (S&P BSE Sensex and Nifty 50) down 17 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively, YTD. On March 12, 2020, trailing the manic global sell-off, the domestic benchmark indices saw their biggest one-day point fall with the S&P BSE Sensex down 2919 points and the Nifty 50 declining 868 points, giving a massive jolt to investors’ confidence. On March 13, domestic indices hit the lower circuit when the market fell another 10 per cent, prompting a halt in trading for 45 minutes, though by the end of the day it closed in the positive.

Varied Sectoral Impact