CNBC’s Jim Cramer mentioned Friday enterprise leaders he has spoken to are deeply anxious concerning the coronavirus outbreak, citing as proof the cancellation of the Cellular World Congress.
“The folks I do know who had been purported to go there, it was type of like a cruise — I am not going there. I am not going to danger going to Barcelona,” Cramer mentioned on “Squawk on the Avenue.”
“You are not used to listening to these hard-bitten executives say, ‘I am personally, personally anxious,'” he added.
The world’s largest commerce present for the cell phone trade had been scheduled for later this month in Barcelona, Spain. About 100,000 folks attended in 2019. However organizers this 12 months canceled the occasion on Wednesday, saying “world concern concerning the coronavirus outbreak, journey concern and different circumstances” made it “not possible” to carry it.
LG, Sony, Ericsson, Nokia, Nvidia, Intel and Amazon determined to not attend earlier than the official cancellation, placing strain on organizers.
Greater than 64,000 folks have been identified with coronavirus, and at the least 1,380 folks have died. The overwhelming majority of circumstances are in China.
As of earlier this week, Spain solely had two confirmed circumstances of the coronavirus.
The choice to cancel MWC speaks to the wide-ranging results of the outbreak, the “Mad Cash” host mentioned.
It was clear the coronavirus was impacting the enterprise group, with factories shutting down as staff stayed at residence and airways canceling 1000’s of flights to China, for instance.
Cruise operators even have canceled journeys, and a few ships that had already set sail are underneath quarantine.
However Cramer mentioned the MWC cancellation sheds mild on how executives are viewing the scenario with reference to their very own well being, not simply the welfare of their staff.
“That has not been the story. Now we’re on the, ‘I do not need to get harm [phase],'” he mentioned.
— CNBC’s Ryan Browne contributed to this report.
