# COVID-19: Flattening the curve from ground zero

> The ringgit fell to its weakest level since May 2017, breaching 4.3480/3530 per US dollar on March 17. Brent crude dropped 11.37% overnight to US$31.41 a barrel as Covid-19 and falling oil prices weighed on oil-reliant economies.

- Date: 2020-03-17 · published 2020-03-17T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: macro · region Malaysia · magnitude medium
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/54381-covid-19-flattening-the-curve-from-ground-zero
- Commodities: [Malaysian Ringgit (MYR per USD)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/USDMYR.md), [Crude Oil (Brent)](https://feedsoft.ai/c/BRENT.md)

## Why it matters

A sharp fall in oil and a weaker ringgit raise the local cost of dollar-priced feed imports, and the wider growth shock could reduce demand for livestock products.

## Read by commodity

- BRENT: bearish ▼
- USDMYR: bullish ▲

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| BRENT | 2026-06-19 | [The Friday Floor: June 19, 2026](https://feedsoft.ai/events/11702-the-friday-floor-june-19-2026.md) | -6.4% | +3.9% |
| BRENT | 2021-07-20 | [Oil extends decline as concerns over Covid-19 variant mount  \| The National](https://feedsoft.ai/events/6366-oil-extends-decline-as-concerns-over-covid-19-variant-mount-the-national.md) | +8.2% | +1.2% |
| BRENT | 2020-04-26 | [Oil price crash, COVID-19 weaken grains and oilseed markets](https://feedsoft.ai/events/53733-oil-price-crash-covid-19-weaken-grains-and-oilseed-markets.md) | +19.9% | +86.8% |
| BRENT | 2020-02-25 | [COVID-19 Pressures Mexican Peso](https://feedsoft.ai/events/54791-covid-19-pressures-mexican-peso.md) | -7.6% | -55.2% |
| BRENT | 2023-05-23 | [The 'great de-stocking'](https://feedsoft.ai/events/5977-the-great-de-stocking.md) | -3.2% | -0.0% |

## Sources

- nst.com.my: https://www.nst.com.my/business/2020/03/575535/covid-19-flattening-curve-ground-zero

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.