SINGAPORE/NEW YORK (Reuters) - World stock markets fell on Thursday, while bonds and the dollar held on to hefty gains, after a coronavirus-driven plunge in U.S. retail sales and factory production and increasing gloomy economic outlooks for Asia.

WTI Crude prices tumbled early on Wednesday to below $20 a barrel, after the International Energy Agency warned of a record oil demand slump this year, adding additional bearish tilt to the market which is already digesting huge U.S. inventory builds and too-little-too-late OPEC++ actions to support prices.  

The Rubber Board of India has proposed a Rs 1,000-crore rehab package for the natural rubber sector to offset the losses due to the lockdown to the Union commerce ministry.

The Monthly Rubber Census for reference February 2020 was conducted in March 2020, prior to the announcement of the Movement Control Order (MCO). Activities of collecting statistics in the industry especially on production was not affected after the MCO's announcement during that period.

NEW YORK, April 14 (Reuters) - Asian shares looked set to pull back from a one-month high on Tuesday, as warnings of a deep recession dampened investor optimism that the slowing spread of the coronavirus could allow businesses to re-open.

HONG KONG • Some of Asia's biggest economies are likely to narrowly avoid recession this year and are poised to bounce back strongly next year if the coronavirus is contained, said the International Monetary Fund (IMF), with China leading the recovery.