The Stock Exchange of Thailand index took a hard hit on Monday amid the coronavirus outbreak in Samut Sakhon and fears of a wider lockdown if it spreads further.
The main board plunged 80.60 points, or 5.44%, to close at 1,401.78, in turnover of 129 billion baht. The SET50 index also fell 55.28 points, 5.84%, to 892.00
Kasikornbank suffered the most among big cap stocks, shredding 9 baht, or 7.56%, to 110 baht.
The Thai bourse stayed in the red all day, as the country battles to prevent the new Covid-19 suge spreading.
The slide was compounded by worries about possible lockdowns in other provinces to contain the virus.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha on Monday ordered the Public Health Ministry to prepare the criteria for lockdowns in other provinces if necessary.
"In relation to the Samut Sakhon spread, not just the region, there is risk of a nationwide lockdown, which represents further economic pressure and has hit market confidence and prices alike," said Jingyi Pan, a senior market strategist at IG in Singapore to Reuters.
The country reported 382 new infections, including 360 Myanmar workers. Bangkok had two more cases that were traced to the Central Shrimp Market in Muang district of Samut Sakhon. The new infections in the capital will be added to the tally issued by the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration on Tuesday.
