As equity markets struggle globally following the outbreak of coronavirus, shares of select healthcare and safety product makers from Japan, South Korea and India have been creating a lot of buzz.
Japanese firm Kawamoto Corporation, which supplies medical products including masks, is on top, with over five-fold jump in January alone. The scrip jumped 479 per cent to JPY 2,591 on January 29 from JPY 447 on December 30 last year on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Another Japanese firm Azearth, which is engaged in protective clothing, has rallied 139 per cent during this period.
The coronavirus outbreak, which started in the central city of Wuhan late last year, has killed 132 people, and has infected nearly 6,000 in China alone.
As fear of contracting the virus and pollution make mask-wearing the new normal, business is booming for the manufacturers in Asia.
Demand for face masks and hand sanitizing liquid has soared, as local residents and visitors to and from China stock up on such products as a reassuring precaution.
Back home, shares of Bharat Immunological & Biological Corporation have rallied nearly 50 per cent to Rs 11.24 on January 28 from Rs 7.54 on January 23.
Bharat Immunologicals and Biologicals Corporation is an India-based biotechnology company, which manufactures and produces a range of pharma products, including zinc tablets used to treat common cold, lung infections, malaria, or asthma.
Shares of 3M India, which manufactures products related to healthcare, safety, industrial safety, have gained 4 per cent on a year-to-date basis till January 28, even as BSE Sensex slid 1 per cent in the same period.
Shares of select South Korean firms have also managed to deliver healthy returns. For instance, South Korean mask producer Monalisa has gained 93 per cent year to date, while South Korean pharma companies Kukje Pharma and Woojung Bio have added 66 per cent and 32 per cent, respectively.
In other parts of the markets, scare of coronavirus has wreaked havoc on bourses across Asia and even in the US. On Wall Street, Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 2 per cent in last six sessions before registering a promising rebound on Tuesday on booster from Apple earnings. Across Asia, China’s Shanghai index and Korea’s Kospi have lost 3 per cent each and Japan’s Nikkei 2 per cent over the past one month.
Commenting on the impact of coronavirus on global economy, Franklin Templeton in its recent blog said near-term business activity and consumption in China and Asia will likely be impacted significantly, as people curtail their movements as a preventive measure.
“This could result in a materially negative growth print. Our teams on the ground report that people in China have been cancelling travel plans, social interactions and outings, leaving restaurants, cinema theatres and hotels empty. There is much-reduced traffic in the transport hubs that are still in operation,” Franklin Templeton said.
Source: Economic Times
