A $1.5 Trillion Wipeout and More: Virus Fallout Across Assets

  • Commodities hardest hit as virus death toll exceeds 100
  • Havens rally, with bonds climbing alongside yen, Swiss franc
Virus Could Present Emerging Asia Buying Opportunity: JPM’s Santos
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The ink was barely dry on Wall Street’s 2020 outlooks when the first case surfaced in Wuhan. But what began as a single patient suffering pneumonia-like symptoms on Dec. 12 has morphed into a deadly virus that’s sent global markets reeling.

A quick tally shows the coronavirus has wiped $1.5 trillion off the value of world stock markets since Jan. 20, when a slide in Hong Kong shares kicked off concerns among traders. Yet with Chinese and Hong Kong exchanges shut for an extended holiday, that’s a lowball figure.