Monthly Comment February 2020

In February, volatility returned to the financial markets. The big movements can mainly be explained by the outbreak of the Corona virus. After the markets dropped at the beginning of the month, they traded into positive territory as it appeared that China was in control of the spread of virus. Expectations on central bank stimulus provided further support. When it became clear that the virus continued to spread outside China, the markets were once again marked by pessimism, with big losses as a result. The downturns hit most companies, sectors and geographical regions, which indicates large index sales. The consequences of the virus outbreak are hard to predict, but companies around the world will have disruptions in production chains and see reduced demand during the first half of the year – something that will be apparent in both Q1 and Q2 reports.