oppn parties Stock Markets In A Free Fall, Sensex Loses 1600 Points

News Snippets

  • ED has issued a showcause notice to Xiaomi India, two of its senior officials and three foreign banks for FEMA violations to the tune of Rs 5551cr
  • India's South-West coast to be hit by very severe Cyclone Biparjoy which will intensify in the next 36 hours
  • PM Modi pays tributes to Birsa Munda on his death anniversary
  • CBI forms SIT to probe violence in Manipur
  • Coal mine collapses in Dhanbad, three dead and scores feared trapped
  • Death threats for Sharad Pawar & Sanjay Raut, probe ordered and security tightened
  • Akhilesh Yadav says law & order situation is out of control in UP
  • Diesel (8.22 million tonnes), petrol (3.35 million tonnes) consumption hits a new high in May
  • Congress' Kamal Nath Sandesh Yatra will begin in Madhya Pradesh on June 15
  • Congress rubbishes reports of Sachin Pilot starting a new outfit, says they are just rumours
  • Delhi Police take women wrestler who had complained against WFI chief B B S Singh to federation office
  • IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar says government will regulate the AI space to keep digital citizens safe
  • Stocks turn negative on Friday: Sensex loses 223 points to 62625 and Nifty 71 points to 18563
  • WTC final: If India can keep the Aussie lead to below 400, they can still make a match of it
  • WTC final: Indian bowlers get their act right in the second innings but Aussies race to a lead of nearly 300 for the loss of 4 wickets
Fresh flare-up in Manipur as 3 persons were shot dead in a Kuki village inKangpopki district
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Stock Markets In A Free Fall, Sensex Loses 1600 Points

By Ashwini Agarwal
First publised on 2020-03-09 12:55:44

The twin issues of the rapid spread of coronavirus (and the consequent disruption in business) along with the uncertainty over the future of Yes Bank spooked the stock market big time today with the indices going into a free fall. The Sensex has gone down by over 1600 points intra-day while the Nifty slid by 453 points. The mood is one of despondency as many counters have only sellers.

The Indian markets took their cue from the global bourses. Stock markets the world over were down by anything from 3 to 5 percent as the already slowing world economy was expected to suffer a prolonged downturn due to the travelling bans and shipment rescheduling as a result of the coronavirus scare. As more and more positive cases of the disease come to fore across the globe, business productivity is expected to plunge sharply, leading to companies reporting lower profits or even losses. This has eroded customer confidence.

Closer home, despite assurances from the RBI and the interest shown by the SBI and other investors to seriously take up the rebuilding of the troubled Yes Bank, investor confidence is shaken. The markets were already discounting the continuing slowdown in the economy when the coronavirus scare struck. Now the Yes Bank episode has taken the winds totally out of the bulls' sails. Even the report that Brent crude has tumbled to below $40 a barrel and is expected to touch $30 within a short period has failed to improve sentiments. Foreign investors are selling in a big way and the Indian institutions have not been able to pick up all they are selling.

Equities are expected to be under selling pressure in the coming weeks. Investors would be advised not to go long yet. But if the markets continue to slide, there may come a time in a couple of weeks when some stocks will be available at a price too attractive to ignore. That would be the right time for any long term player to make his or her move.