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Stock markets around the world witnessed one of the most painful correction phases in the month of March 2020.

Indian stock markets too mirrored the trend.

Here are six charts showing how Indian financial markets performed in March 2020.

1. Record Wealth Destruction
   
   

   In the month of March 2020, the Sensex fell as much as 23%.

   It is not the month where the market has fallen the most. That honor goes to October 2008 where markets tanked 23.9%, beating the 23.1% the market lost last month by a whisker.

   However, March 2020 wins hands down in wealth destruction.

   Wealth destruction of Rs 4.4 lakh crores back in 2008 pales in comparison to the Rs 14.6 lakh crores worth of wealth destroyed on the Sensex in the last month alone.

   March 2020 the Second Worst Month in History

2. Huge Selling Pressure for Individual Stocks
   
   

   Except two, all the stocks in the BSE Sensex plunged in March 2020.

   The decline was mainly led by banking stocks and financial stocks.

   Stocks such as IndusInd Bank, Bajaj Finance, and Axis Bank fell as much as 40%-70%.

   Top BSE Gainers and Losers in March 2020

3. All Sectors in a Sea of Red
   
   

   Among sectors, all the BSE indices gave negative returns in March 2020.

   BSE Realty, BSE Bankex, BSE Finance, and BSE Auto Index fell more than 30%.

   It was a double whammy for banking and finance stocks that witnessed most of the brunt on the back of coronavirus outbreak and Yes bank crisis.

   Worst Hit Sectors in March 2020

4. Crude Oil Slumps Over 50%
   
   

   Crude oil crashed over 50% in March 2020.

   The fall was seen because of oversupply amid subdued demand.

   Oil prices crashed last month in what was the worst price dip since the 1991 Gulf War with Brent prices plunging to US$ 31 per barrel.

   Oil markets faced a double whammy from the coronavirus outbreak and a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia after OPEC and other producers failed to agree on deeper cuts to support oil prices in early March.

   Shares of oil marketing companies such as Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL), Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL), GAIL, ONGC, Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Indraprastha Gas were in focus in March amid record low crude oil prices.

   They witnessed buying interest and capped most losses led by the stock market crash.

   In his latest video, Ajit Dayal shares his views on the impact of the coronavirus crisis and the oil price war on the Indian economy and the stock market. You can view the same here.

   Crude Oil Continues Free Fall

5. Gold Prices Shine
   
   

   Base metals also remained under pressure as lockdown imposed in several parts of the world curbed demand, pushing stockpiles higher.

   However, gold prices rose 3% in March 2020 as demand for the safe haven asset rose with market participants bracing prolonged uncertainty in the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

   To know more about gold, you can check one of Vijay Bhambwani's recent articles here: Is the Price of Gold About to Go Higher?

   Gold Witnesses Buying

6. Rupee Hits Record Low in March 2020
   
   

   Massive sell-off in equities and bonds led to a huge fall in rupee against the dollar in the month of March.

   The rupee hit a record low of 76.32 against dollar earlier this week.

   Most of the selling pressure for rupee was seen on the back of slump in equities and currencies globally. Investors were concerned that support measures from governments and central banks may be insufficient to halt the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

   Rupee Continues Downtrend

So, that was a round-up on how Indian financial markets performed in the month of March 2020.

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Educating about the importance of face mask, Indian cricketers- both men and women- on Saturday came together in a video, making an appeal to fellow countrymen to use a home mask and join the 'team mask force'. Wearing a facial mask for anyone stepping out was made compulsory in Delhi on April 8. Several other states had also made wearing maks compulsory as coronavirus in the country continues to rage. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) shared a video in which cricketers were urging people to wear a homemade mask.

The video features the likes of former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Indian captain Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag, Mithali Raj, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Harmanpreet Kaur, and Rahul Dravid. At the end of the video, Tendulkar also reminded everyone to wash hands at least for 20 seconds and practice social distancing.

#TeamIndia is now #TeamMaskForce!

Join #IndiaFightsCorona and download @mygovindia's @SetuAarogya mobile application 📱@PMOIndia @narendramodi 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/M06okJhegt

— BCCI (@BCCI) April 18, 2020

Meanwhile, according to the Union Health Ministry, a total of 14,378 people have tested positive for the infection so far in the country and 480 deaths have been reported from across the country due to the coronavirus till now.

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Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is a "bit" surprised that Cricket Australia is struggling financially due to the COVID-19 pandemic but said players will work together with the governing body to overcome the crisis. With the coronavirus outbreak halting all cricketing action, Cricket Australia (CA) has laid off 80 per cent of its staff for the rest of the financial year which ends on June 30. Reports suggest that CA will run out of cash by August. "I was a bit surprised there but there has to be some impact, no doubt," Hazlewood was quoted as saying by 'Sydney Morning Herald'. Hazlewood said the financial crisis will hit cricketers too and they are ready for a reduced salary.

"We are no different from any other sport. It just depends how long it hangs around as to how much it is going to affect us, I guess. If it leads into next summer, it will be quite serious," Hazlewood said. "We're obviously partners in the game and we've always said that. We have ridden the highs and now its probably time to ride the lows, a little bit." CA and Australian Cricketers' Association (ACA) had an ugly pay dispute in 2017 but Hazlewood said relations have improved since and hoped this crisis will be handled better this time. "I think the relationship is a lot better now, between the ACA and CA. It's developed a long way in the last 18 months to two years, probably," he said. "... so that will go a long way towards having this episode (handled) a lot better than last time. It's all positive from our end and I think, from both ends. "Hopefully it's a lot better communication this time and I think you will see that in the coming weeks and the coming months. As long as they show a lot of transparency on all the numbers, all the players will be pretty happy with that."

According to the MOU signed in 2017, CA has to provide ACA with revenue estimates and a national contract list for the upcoming summer by April 30 and Hazlewood expects the deadline to be met so that players can be better prepared for the financial fallout. "April 30 is what the players want and it's in the MOU but I guess these are strange times. Anything can happen," Hazlewood said. "The ideal (situation) is that they're put out before April 30 and obviously then we will know, financially, what we can get ready for and how much of a percentage is lost and how much of our contracts are affected. "The sooner we know that, the more we can plan for the next 12 months." The global health crisis, which has killed more than 1.6 lakh worldwide, has put this year's T20 World Cup and India's tour of Australia under threat.

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While the country is in lockdown due to Coronavirus, at least two Indian cricket legends decided to have some fun of their own.

Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and current India captain Virat Kohli have had their hair cut. However, while Sachin chopped his own hair, Virat's Bollywood star wife Anushka played hair stylist for him.

Sachin, 46, recently posted a series of pictures of his new hairdo on social media. "From playing square cuts to doing my own haircuts, have always enjoyed doing different things. How's my new hairdo looking @aalimhakim and @nandan_v_naik?," he captioned his post.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

From playing square cuts 🏏 to doing my own hair cuts 💇🏻‍♂️, have always enjoyed doing different things. ‪How’s my new hairdo 💁🏻‍♂️ looking @aalimhakim & @nandan_v_naik? 😋

A post shared by Sachin Tendulkar (@sachintendulkar) onApr 19, 2020 at 4:59am PDT

Meanwhile, Virat, 31, who got his beard trimmed too, insisted that being well groomed keeps him in the zone. "While we're all indoors, it's extremely important to do stuff that makes you feel good. Staying well groomed is one of the things that keeps me in the zone. So I thought of giving myself this new look. I want all of you to take the #TrimAtHome challenge & post your new look!" Virat posted on Instagram.

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

While we're all indoors, it's extremely important to do stuff that makes you feel good. Staying well groomed is one of the things that keeps me in the zone. So I thought of trimming my beard at home and giving myself this new look. 😊 Now I want all of you to take the #TrimAtHome challenge and post your new look! 😎

A post shared by Virat Kohli (@virat.kohli) onApr 18, 2020 at 4:20am PDT

Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar are regarded as one of the finest batsmen to ever play for India. Virat Kohli is second behind Sachin Tendulkar with regards to most hundreds scored in ODIs.

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Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal could have a part of his three-year anti-corruption ban suspended when the judge heading the Cricket Board's disciplinary Panel gives out his detailed judgement soon, a source in the PCB has said.

After the hour-long hearing of the panel held on April Monday in Lahore, where Umar appeared himself to plead his case, Justice (retd) Miran Chohan announced a three-year ban on the batsman for failing to report corrupt approaches.

"People are jumping to conclusions about the three-year ban but the detailed order is yet to come out. Umar might eventually get a three-year ban with two years suspended or something like that," the source told PTI.

He said there are chances the judge will suspend most part of the three-year ban given the clauses under which Umar has been charged by the Anti-Corruption Unit and also given his past track record.
"Umar could get a suspended sentence in his three-year ban because this will also test him as an individual to see how he behaves and conducts himself in future," the source said.

"When majority part of a ban is suspended, the player has to be careful with his behaviour or he could end up being banned for the entire duration of the ban,¿ he explained.

Umar has the right to appeal against the panel decision 14 days after he gets a copy of the detailed judgement. His appeal will be heard by an independent adjudicator to be appointed by the board.

Two years ago, the Anti-Corruption Tribunal of the PCB, headed by Lt. General (retd) Tauqir Zia, had also banned Sharjeel Khan for five years with half of the sentence suspended, which allowed him to make a comeback in the Pakistan Super League 5 in February.

Umar was suspended from playing in the PSL 5 on February 20 by the PCB in the spot-fixing approach case.

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Suresh Raina on Tuesday tweeted a video of him working out with the song 'Bella Ciao' playing in the background. Raina posted boomerangs of him working out with his "little Bella." In one of those, his daughter Gracia can also be seen in the frame. "Another workout session with my little Bella. #Gracia," said Raina.

On Monday, Raina said that it was disturbing to see how there has been an "exponential" rise in the number of child abuse and domestic violence cases during the ongoing coronavirus crisis around the world. Raina has, therefore, urged people to raise their voice and report such cases without any fear.

Another workout session with my little Bella. #Gracia pic.twitter.com/CCb4ylo2JX

— Suresh Raina🇮🇳 (@ImRaina) May 5, 2020

"Lockdown has taught us various ways to love and bond with our family," Raina said on Twitter. "Though it's disturbing to read how exponentially the no. of child abuse and domestic violence cases have grown around the world.

"I urge anyone who is facing violence please reach out for help and don't shut yourself," he added. Earlier, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan and his wife Ayesha had also put out a video on social media to send an important message regarding domestic violence. Dhawan urged people to put an end to this social evil by choosing the right partner for themselves.

"While I enjoy my time at home with my loving family, I am truly sad and disheartened and sad to hear about domestic violence still existing in today's time and we need to put an end to it. Choose a kind and loving partnership and say no to violence," read his Twitter post which he published in April.

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African ambassadors in China have written to Foreign Minister Wang Yi over the "discrimination" against the African nationals in the Chinese city of Guangzhou. According to reports, African students and expatriates in the city are being evicted by the landlords, forcefully tested for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and quarantined without checking their travel history or considering other criteria for testing.

Several of them have been refused rooms in hotels and are forced to live on the streets, according to CNN. Several videos and posts about the alleged discrimination also went viral, leading to widespread anger among citizens in Africa.

Al Jazeera reported that its journalist Sarah Clarke said some in China believe the African community in Guangzhou could be behind a second wave of infections. "Since last Thursday we saw 114 new cases reported in Guangzhou of Coronavirus and 16 of them Africans. We've seen a number of reports from members of the African community in Guangzhou making complaints of mistreatment, arrests, eviction and being denied access to restaurants and hotels, and some students are even claiming to be living on the streets and being denied food," she said.

The ambassadors said such "stigmatisation and discrimination" has led people to believe that the Africans are spreading the virus. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian has, however, denied the claims of discrimination, without referring to the letter to Wang.

Zhao Lijian said, "The Guangdong authorities attach great importance to some African countries' concerns and are working promptly to improve their working method. African friends can count on getting fair, just, cordial and friendly reception in China."

'No home quarantine for patients'

Wang Xinghuan, the head of the Wuhan Leishenshan Hospital, involved in handling the crisis in Wuhan on Monday said mandatory isolation of people with mild symptoms in special centres instead of their homes is essential as they are very likely to spread the virus to their family members.

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Almost 1.6 billion workers in the informal economy, nearly half of the global workforce, face an immediate danger of losing their livelihoods due to the continued sharp decline in working hours because of the COVID-19 outbreak, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said. Over 430 million enterprises in hard-hit sectors such as retail and manufacturing risk "serious disruption", the UN agency added. The findings appear in the ILO Monitor third edition released on Wednesday.

Globally, there are some 3.3 billion workers. Two billion have jobs in the informal economy, the most vulnerable workers in the labour market. ILO said 1.6 billion in the informal economy "have suffered massive damage to their capacity to earn a living" as a result of the economic meltdown triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Due to lockdowns or because they work in hard-hit sectors, these workers globally have seen a 60 per cent drop in income during the first month of the crisis. This translates into a over 80 per cent decline in Africa and the Americas, 70 per cent in Europe and Central Asia, and 21.6 per cent in Asia and the Pacific, the ILO said.

The ILO called for "urgent, targeted and flexible measures" to support both workers and business, particularly smaller enterprises and those in the informal economy.

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[Source: Research & Innovation] An EU-funded consortium is developing advanced X-ray and 3D imaging technologies to enable European miners to extract essential metal and mineral resources more efficiently and sustainably.

[Source: Research & Innovation] A revolutionary approach to neuro-rehabilitation developed by EU-funded researchers could help intensive care patients to recover, including survivors of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Source: Research & Innovation] A free parenting programme based on EU-funded research has won a 2019 Horizon Impact Award for its success in helping families to avoid child abuse in low-and middle-income countries. Now parents everywhere can access online tips to cope with COVID-19 lockdown life.

[Source: Research & Innovation] EU-funded researchers have employed quantum physics to develop an optical microscope that opens up the potential to view the tiniest of objects - including many viruses - directly for the first time.

[Source: Research & Innovation] EU-funded researchers have developed an ultrasensitive test to rapidly, accurately and cost-effectively diagnose disease, underpinned by innovative biosensing technology that could help combat the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV and cancer.

[Source: Research & Innovation] Illegal fishing destroys marine habitats and threatens species living at sea. An EU-funded project is helping authorities to crack down on these operations by developing the world's first seabird ocean-surveillance system.

[Source: Research & Innovation] Generating safe antigens to induce immunity is one of several key steps in vaccine production. Purification is another, and it is typically a complex process. EU-funded researchers have designed a way to simplify the process, boost yields, limit waste and reduce costs, in a bid to help make more doses available more affordably.

[Source: Research & Innovation] Armed with a novel biosensor that uses acoustic waves to detect tumour DNA, an EU-funded project could increase the precision and affordability of cancer diagnosis and help make personalised treatment a reality for more patients.

The Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council has released a report calling for the Government to expand its tax treaty network, in particular with countries that have growing aviation industries.

The UK tax agency, HM Revenue and Customs, has released new guidance on its policies concerning cost-sharing groups following rulings from the European Court of Justice on their VAT treatment.

The United States Economic Commission for Africa says African countries are gearing up to sign the African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement, with a key deadline this month being hit with an agreement among ministers.

On April 1, 2018, South Africa increased its value-added tax rate to 15 percent from 14 percent.

The African Continental Free Trade Agreement will enter into force on May 30, 2019, after Sierra Leone and the Sahrawi Republic deposited their instruments of ratification of the agreement.

The sedentary nature of modern life has had a noticeably detrimental effect on both physical and mental health. An EU-funded project has highlighted how to boost the wellbeing of Europeans by linking transport and health policies.

TRA2020 conference in April 2020 has been cancelled

More information

The comprehensive double taxation agreement between Hong Kong and Russia, which was signed in January this year, entered into force on July 29, 2016, and will be in effect in Hong Kong for any year of assessment beginning on or after April 1, 2017.

On July 19, 2019, the United States Internal Revenue Service Large Business and International Division announced six additional compliance campaigns.

CDC researchers have developed new tools using GPS technology and PDAs to help prevent the spread of malaria in Africa, according to a study published

Medicine has a lot to learn from 'football' about developing new approaches to clinical methods says new research. The research, published in the

Highights: Mussels help in treating myocardial infarction (MI) A protein from mussels and stem cells help t

Highlights: Cognitive behavioral therapy helps Parkinson's patients overcome negative thoughts About 50% of P

UK tax authority HM Revenue and Customs has said that it is aware of a new tax avoidance scheme that attempts to exploit Entrepreneurs' Relief by turning what would be income into a capital gain.

Governments raised about USD33bn in carbon pricing revenue last year, a 50 percent increase from 2016, according to a new update by the World Bank.

New study has shed light on how an important front-line ethambutol drug kills the tuberculosis bacterium. The study has been conducted by University of Birmingham scientists.

The European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) and the Mercosur group of countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) concluded in substance a broad-based free trade agreement at the tenth round of negotiations from August 20 to 23, 2019.

The European Council has approved new rules for the exchange of VAT payment data relating to cross-border e-commerce transactions.

The OECD has recently launched a consultation on tackling the circumvention of its latest international tax transparency standard, the Common Reporting Standard, through the use by individuals of residency by investment (RBI), or citizenship by investment (CBI) schemes.

The Hong Kong Government has released a draft bill containing its 2017 proposal to provide an enhanced tax deduction for research and development expenditure.

The Swiss Government on September 20, 2019, announced that it has exchanged instruments of ratification with the United States to bring into force a Protocol to their double tax agreement.

The Swiss Government has published guidance on the legislation that brings into force the recommendations made by the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes.

The United Arab Emirates' Federal Tax Authority has released a statement confirming that all purchases from online retailers are subject to the same value-added tax rules as for purchases from brick and mortar stores – that they should generally be subject to the headline five percent value-added tax rate.

The fifth round of tariff cuts under the Japan-Australia Economic Partnership Agreement have entered into force.

Japan's sales tax rose from eight to 10 percent on October 1, 2019, following two previous delays to the hike.

Highlights: Eating too much - not exercising too little - is at the root of obesity It is also responsible

Highlights: The American Heart Association has published a statement on exercise and heart health It re

Highlights: A common intestinal bacterium has been identified that secretes a carcinogen The carcinogen produ

The UK tax agency has announced that it has scheduled two new webinars to support the construction industry to come to terms with the new VAT reverse charge being introduced on building and construction services from October 1.

The UK tax agency has confirmed that it is investigating around 170 professional soccer players' tax affairs and around 20 football clubs, focusing on the taxation of image rights.

HM Revenue and Customs, the UK tax authority, has welcomed a ruling in its favor against a contrived tax avoidance scheme involving an entity in Jersey and the Cayman Islands.

The OECD has announced that its multilateral convention to implement tax treaty-related measures to counter base erosion and profit shifting will enter into force on July 1, 2018.

The UK tax agency HM Revenue and Customs has released guidance for taxpayers affected by the Loan Charge.