Categories: Market Overview

Time to assess the damage

The world market’s attention is shifting from fear of the unknown to an attempt to evaluate the cost and try to look forward. The daily new cases looks more and more stable, allowing hope that there will be no further restrictions. The next stage is to assess the impact of quarantine on the economy and timing how long the damage will persist. This turns markets to China as it leads the coronavirus curve for a month or two before the EU and US.

China’s foreign trade data, published earlier today, gave market participants a breath of relief. Exports from China fell by 6.6% YoY in March, well below the expected collapse of 14%. Imports declined by 0.9% YoY, sharply better than expected collapse by 9.5%.

The sharp improvement was further evidence of a V-shaped recovery after the February collapse and confirmed the trends outlined in PMI surveys. It seems that China’s growth rate has almost fully recovered. A return to gross economic performance on the pre-crisis trajectory is unlikely in the foreseeable future. However, the ability of businesses to get back to work is in itself, an important signal.

The published data caused growth in Chinese markets, raising China A50 to monthly highs. Japan’s Nikkei225 has also been at its highest level since March 11, as well as futures on the S&P500.

However, China’s experience may prove to be far from an accurate forecast for the rest of the world. Many countries in Europe have been wholly quarantined, while it was just some regions in China. In light of this, it is reasonable for EU officials to expect that the region’s economy will suffer the most from quarantine compared to others. It is also worth watching out for the British and US service sectors. They account for about 75% of the GDP there, and expected to get the hardest hit because of the pandemic. The open question is, will they recover so quickly? The markets may start getting their first estimates this week, along with the data and early quarterly reports and company forecasts.

The FxPro Analyst Team

The FxPro Analyst Team

Our team consists of financial market experts. Our dedicated professionals prepare reviews on the foreign exchange market situation, Crude Oil, Gold and Stock Indices. All the analysts are regularly published in the world leading economic media.

Share
Published by
The FxPro Analyst Team

Recent Posts

EURCHF Wave Analysis 20 December 2024

- EURCHF falling inside minor impulse wave 5 - Likely to fall to support level…

3 days ago

USDCHF Wave Analysis 20 December 2024

- USDCHF reversed from resistance zone - Likely to fall to support level 0.8860 USDCHF…

3 days ago

The US dollar ends the year on a strong note

The US dollar is at two-year highs. Factors such as changes in the Fed's monetary…

3 days ago

How deep will crypto dive?

The crypto market is experiencing a decline, with a potential further drop in value. Bitcoin…

3 days ago

EURGBP Wave Analysis 19 December 2024

- EURGBP reversed from support zone - Likely to rise to resistance level 0.8300 EURGBP…

4 days ago

EURJPY Wave Analysis 19 December 2024

- EURJPY broke resistance zone - Likely to rise to resistance level 165.00 EURJPY currency…

4 days ago

This website uses cookies