The new marketplace is an uncomfortable place to be

SINGAPORE has been a home to me and my family for the past decade. But it was a first for me to witness the strange phenomenon of empty shelves in the supermarket aisles that fateful Friday in February. Panic buying behaviour jolted by the Covid-19 outbreak is not unique to residents of the little red dot. As we enter the third month of the outbreak where the virus is spreading across the world, we're witnessing reports of more panic buying and stockpiling of everyday items at supermarkets in Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia, Germany, New Zealand and the US. And we expect more as the virus makes its way into new countries.

The Covid-19 virus is causing major mayhem from supermarkets to financial markets in Asia.

Asia's empty aisles and shelves are backed by Kantar data. Around one in three (30 per cent) Asian consumers say that they worry about running out of essentials and are buying more than usual, leaving shelves empty. One in ten (12 per cent) Singaporeans admit to panic buying while this is highest in Japan, where 64 per cent of people admit to this behaviour.