The coronavirus hit stocks and major indexes this week as fear grips investors. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (see chart here) fell over 600 points yesterday, the S&P 500 (see chart here) closed lower by 58 points, the Nasdaq Composite (see chart here) fell 148 points and the small-cap Russell 2000 (see chart here) closed yesterday down 34 points. Now if you have been following me for a while you know I am a big fan of pullbacks in the market. However, I don’t like seeing the cause of this latest sell-off. I would much rather prefer to see the market retrace in a healthy manner versus a health crisis.
Some of the fear the market is experiencing is warranted. Companies are suspending business to and with China which clearly will have an impact on their businesses. For example airline stocks have taken it on the chin recently. Most major airlines have suspended service to China and in some instances for months. Entertainment companies such as Disney (DIS:NYSE), Carnival Cruises (CCL:NYSE) and Royal Caribbean (RCL:NYSE) are also feeling the pressure due to closures and suspension of services. These companies and companies alike are doing the responsible thing here until the World Health Organization establishes the proper plan to contain the spread of this fast moving virus.
To that end, yes the coronavirus is a global threat for now. Past viruses such as the coronavirus are serious health risks and this one is no different. However, for market participants past events like this have ended up being opportunities in the marketplace. Of course the highest priority here is to not only stop the spread of the virus, but to find a swift treatment for it. Until then I do expect continuing volatility in the markets.
In the short term my plan is to be patient and not to act in haste. Historically when situations like this occur and then move to a respite, markets begin to settle in. Good luck to all 🙂
~George