The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 fell on Friday, the final day of the month, as traders tried to assess the potential economic impact of China’s fast-spreading coronavirus while digesting earnings from Caterpillar and Amazon.
The 30-stock Dow was down 208 points, or 0.7%. The S&P 500 traded 0.4% lower. The Nasdaq Composite bucked the negative trend from the broader market, chopping around the flatline as Amazon shares skyrocketed on earnings.
China’s National Health Commission confirmed on Friday that there have been 9,692 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, with 213 deaths.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the deadly pneumonia-like virus as a global health emergency on Thursday, citing concern that the outbreak continues to spread to other countries with weaker health systems. WHO’s designation was made to help the United Nations health agency mobilize financial and political support to contain the outbreak.
Source: CNBC