How the stock market has performed during past viral outbreaks, as coronavirus spreads to Italy and Iran
By Mark DeCambre
Published: Feb 24, 2020 3:13 p.m. ET
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There are now 79,407 cases of COVID-19 in 32 countries and 2,622 deaths
 AFP/Getty Images
History says it tends to do a pretty good job
U.S. equity markets have experienced turbulent trade recently as investors keep watch of a deadly viral outbreak of COVID-19 in China. There are now 79,407 cases of COVID-19 in 32 countries and 2,622 deaths, according to the most recent reports.
However, gauged by the market’s performance during the onset of other infectious diseases, including SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, Ebola and avian flu, Wall Street investors may have little to fear that the pathogen will sicken a U.S. stock market that finished 2019 with the best annual return in years and finished Thursday trade at all-time highs.
That said, many investors are recommending caution amid the current bout of coronavirus that was reportedly first identified late last year in Wuhan City, China. The ability of the virus to halt travel and harm consumption, particularly in Beijing, are some of the ways an outbreak is likely to have economic implications that could wash up on U.S. shores.
“Risk velocity – the pace at which major risks and ‘black swan’ events can affect asset prices – is elevated in today’s markets compared to 10 years ago for three key reasons,” said Seema Shah, chief strategist at Principal Global Investors, in a research note, referring to the theory for the impact of unexpected events on markets and economies, popularized by Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.
The strategist said a social-media driven news cycle, the interconnectedness of global supply chains and a pricey stock market, make Wall Street more vulnerable to a black swan.
“External shocks can derail economic trends and abruptly alter market sentiment. Not all risk is economic policy or monetary,” wrote David Kotok, chairman and CIO at money manager Cumberland Advisors, in a recent research note.
On Thursday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, -0.28%, the S&P 500 index SPX, -0.21% and the Nasdaq Composite Index COMP, +0.09% all had been trading near records up until Monday.
However, investors have been attuned to updates on the spread of the disease.
Historically, however, Wall Street’s reaction to such epidemics and fast-moving diseases is often short-lived.
According to Dow Jones Market Data, the S&P 500 posted a gain of 14.59% after the first occurrence of SARS back in 2002-03, based on the end of month performance for the index in April, 2003. About 12 months after that point, the broad-market benchmark was up 20.76% (see attached table):
| Epidemic | Month end | 6-month % change of S&P | 12-month % change of S&P | | HIV/AIDS | June 1981 | -0.3 | -16.5 | | Pneumonic plague | September 1994 | 8.2 | 26.3 | | SARS | April 2003 | 14.59 | 20.76 | | Avian flu | June 2006 | 11.66 | 18.36 | | Dengue Fever | September 2006 | 6.36 | 14.29 | | Swine flu | April 2009 | 18.72 | 35.96 | | Cholera | November 2010 | 13.95 | 5.63 | | MERS | May 2013 | 10.74 | 17.96 | | Ebola | March 2014 | 5.34 | 10.44 | | Measles/Rubeola | December 2014 | 0.20 | -0.73 | | Zika | January 2016 | 12.03 | 17.45 | | Measles/Rubeola | June 2019 | 9.82% | N/A | | | | —Source: Dow Jones Market Data |
SARS resulted in a total of about 8,100 people being sickened during the 2003 outbreak, with 774 people dying, according to data from WHO and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. |
