COVID-19 Pandemic and Stock Performance: Evidence from the Sub-Saharan African Stock Markets

Emerging stock markets provide great opportunities for investment growth and risk diversification. However, they are more vulnerable to extreme market events. This study examines the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on stock performance in sub-Saharan African stock markets. An event study method was used to determine whether there was any significant difference in sector returns before and during the pandemic, and panel data regression was used to determine the causal relationship between COVID-19 events and the abnormal returns observed. Four stock exchanges were chosen, including the two largest and two fastest-growing markets in sub-Saharan Africa. According to the study's findings, the information technology, consumer staples, and healthcare sectors outperformed during the pandemic, while the industrials, materials, and real estate sectors underperformed. The financial and consumer discretionary proved to be the most stable sectors during the pandemic. We also observed that the imposition of lockdown had a negative impact on the performance of most sectors in sub-Saharan African markets, whereas government assistance in the form of economic stimulus packages had no significant positive impact on stock performance except in the South African market. Furthermore, we find that increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths had no negative impact on capital markets, where stocks have responded positively to economic recovery aid. The study concludes that during the COVID-19 pandemic, stocks reacted more to government actions than the occurrence of the pandemic itself. © 2023 by the authors.

The Impact of Post-Covid-19 Container Shortage Crisis on Global Supply Chains

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there has been disruption in international trade affecting many areas one of the sectors being the supply chain on products in different countries. Now most countries are back to manufacturing though an anomaly is evident on quantity produced resulting in a bullwhip effect on the fleet of the containers supply chain. There is incapacitation of production in some countries as the virus ravages the globe. This has led to an inverse balance in the quantity of container fleet flow in international trade. This has led to the research to delve into the container shortage globally which is now a crisis. Identification of the nature of the crisis, the analysis of the impact this has propelled to has been discussed. Post-Covid strategies to mitigate this effect are presented. Thematic analysis has been used in this juncture due to limitations and delimitations of geographical location and Covid-19 restrictions. © IEOM Society International.