Covid-19: Sensex set for biggest quarterly fall, Nifty's worst in 28 years

The S&P BSE Sensex is set to report its biggest quarterly fall in history of the stock market, with the benchmark index slipping 31 per cent during January-March 2020 quarter till Monday. The markets have entered a ‘bear phase’ on the back of panic triggered by the rampant spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Typically, a fall of 20 per cent or more from the peak level for a stock or an index is considered as a bear market territory for that traded unit.

On the other hand, the Nifty 50, which declined 31.9 per cent, is likely to record its sharpest quarterly fall since June 1992 quarter when it fell 32.2 per cent during the quarter, while the Sensex had tanked 28.1 per cent during the same quarter.

For the financial year 2019 - 2020 (FY20), the Nifty50 (down 28.8 per cent) and Sensex (down 26.5 per cent) recorded an over 25 per cent fall till Monday, March 30 – their worst performance in over a decade. Earlier in FY09, the S&P BSE Sensex had recorded 37.9 per cent fall, while the Nifty slipped 36.2 per cent during the period as global financial crisis (GFC) roiled marketrs and economy. Read More