For the latest ETF industry news, please refer to our “Asia ETF Roundup (Industry) – February 2020”.
Major Markets Performance
As fears surrounding the COVID-19 outbreak have spread across the globe, major markets have been in turmoil. The S&P 500 had notched new highs during the month before nosediving at month end. The index finished the month with an 8.4% loss. Japan’s Nikkei 225 and Korea’s KOSPI fell 8.9% and 6.2%, respectively, as the outbreak worsened in those countries. China onshore markets, on the other hand, saw relatively small losses for the month (CSI 300 -1.6%; Shanghai Composite -3.2%) after trading resumed on 3 February following an extended Chinese New Year Holiday. Emerging markets generally recorded hefty losses, ranging from 6% to 13%.