Coronavirus and the global economy: yes, there really is cause for optimism

Stock markets are rebounding on the back of the newly agreed US$2 trillion American fiscal stimulus plan. It comes after a week that was the worst in history for the Dow and many others around the world. My impression is that the unfolding global recession has now been fully priced into stocks by investors.

That recession looks all but guaranteed, of course: Chinese GDP is estimated to have dropped 12% in the first two months of the year – a harbinger of what is coming everywhere. One useful guide is the market for corporate default swaps, which are financial instruments that investors use to hedge against companies running into trouble. The Markit iTraxx Europe Crossover index, which tracks European corporate swaps, is implying a 38% probability in European companies defaulting on their debts in months to come.

Yet let’s put things in perspective. The coronavirus is certainly causing a tragic loss of human lives, but the mortality rate appears to be lower than some early predictions indicated.

So what will be the economic impact of the lockdown measures required to keep the mortality rate down? A large part of the fallout to date – particularly on stock markets – has actually been from negative sentiment rather than real effects. The Baltic Exchange Dry Index, which measures the average price of moving raw materials by sea, is the best indicator of global trade in real time. It bottomed out in February and has since improved as the China crisis has receded – per the chart below.

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Πηγή: theconversation.com