Markets crash: Prices, Putin and Pandemic - the 3 pronged pain for stocks

As stock prices from Wall Street to Dalal Street see a meltdown, we look at the factors at play that are making traders jittery:

Prices: Higher inflation rate has sparked a fresh round of fears in traders that the Fed will hike rates more than what equities have priced in. Stock markets are now looking at a 75 bps hike from the US central bank that is facing 40-year high inflation. Cost of living crisis is causing central banks from ECB to RBI to fast change course of policy making money more expensive as risks of recession rises.

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Putin: Ever since the Kremlin decided to attack Ukraine on the 24 February 2022, the war has created multiple supply shocks from fuel to food. Crude prices now hovering around the $120/bbl mark hurting importing nations across Asia and EU.

Pandemic: The covid outbreak seems to be never-ending with China starting to re-impose Covid-19 restrictions just weeks after major easing in key cities, raising concern that the country may once again employ strict lockdowns to control its outbreak. Lockdowns have already roiled global supply chains and impacted the operations of global giants from Sony Group Corp. to Tesla Inc.