Singapore

RIPPLE effects of the novel corona-virus are being keenly felt in global commodity markets, and market observers are expecting it to have a longer and larger impact than the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) outbreak in 2002 and 2003.

"The baseline is that the impact on commodities this time round is more impulsive and significant than Sars, given the fact that China's share of the world's gross domestic product (GDP) has risen from 4.2 per cent in 2003 to about 16.3 per cent now," CMC Markets analyst Margaret Yang told The Business Times on Tuesday.