In 2003, the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) coronavirus caused a substantial economic demand shock in East Asia particularly in Hong Kong, Singapore and China. The economic disruption caused much turmoil to the local economies of the affected countries where the outbreak occurred. Tourism industry then was hard hit by the nose-dive in tourists arrival and the hospitality industry was badly impacted. Other industries such as retail also suffered when people stayed indoors in order to avoid catching the virus. According to official estimates from the Economic Survey of Singapore, Third Quarter 2003, the local service industries such as hotels, restaurants and air transport shrank by 10% to 30% in the 2nd quarter of 2003.
The SGX was in the red today with heavy selling by worried investors. Will the current Wuhan coronavirus also lead to the same severe economic disruption that we have seen in 2003? Will stock prices begin...