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 Chinese face mask
manufacturers are reopening factories shut for a national
holiday, promising workers up to four times their normal wages
as consumers emptied out stock in stores in a race to protect
themselves from the new coronavirus infection.
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 (Bloomberg) -- For a fresh perspective on the stories that matter in Australian business and politics, sign up for our new weekly newsletter.European stocks dropped, U.S. equity futures drifted and Asian shares slumped on Thursday amid lingering concerns that a virus spreading from China to other countries could become a drag on global growth. Crude oil fell and Treasuries climbed.Travel and mining shares led the Stoxx Europe 600 Index lower. Asian stocks slid from Seoul to Sydney on worries the deadly pathogen will affect corporate sales and economies. China's Shanghai Composite Index plunged 2.8%, the biggest drop on the last trading day before China's Lunar New Year holiday in the benchmark's three-decade history. Contracts on the Dow Jones Industrial Average nudged lower while those on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 indexes fluctuated.European bonds gained across the board, while the euro edged down before the region's central bank announces a policy decision later on Thursday. ECB President Christine Lagarde will speak to the press afterwards.With China moving to shut down travel in and out of Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus that's killed 17 people so far, the threat to airlines and retailers is becoming increasingly clear. The risk, which is stirring memories of the SARS outbreak 17 years ago, is emerging just as evidence mounts that the global economy has turned a corner. Strong Australian job numbers Thursday were the latest sign; the country's currency outperformed global peers.
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Much is still unknown about the spreading China virus, and one analyst says there could be more clarity after the Lunar New Year holidays.
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 World shares fell on Thursday, led by the biggest decline in Chinese stocks in more than eight months, as concern mounted about the spread of a deadly virus in China.
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Tourists from China now account for over 15% of total short-term inbound travelers to Australia, as compared with just 4% in 2003, according to Moody's.
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World shares fell on Thursday,
led by the biggest decline in Chinese stocks in more than eight
months, as concern mounted about the spread of a deadly virus in
China.
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China is putting on lockdown a
city of 11 million people considered the epicentre of a new
coronavirus outbreak that has killed 17 and infected nearly 600,
as health authorities around the world scramble to prevent a
global pandemic.
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 (Bloomberg) -- Sign up for Next China, a weekly email on where the nation stands now and where it's going next.Panic coursed through the world's second-largest equity market as investors sold stocks on concern a deadly virus will worsen over China's week-long trading break.The Shanghai Composite Index settled 2.8% lower after the close of trading, the worst end to a Lunar Year in its three-decade history. More than 90% of the mainland's 4,000 stocks fell on volumes that were 20% above average, with foreign traders selling a record $1.7 billion worth of the shares via links with Hong Kong. The yuan weakened as much as 0.4% and government bond futures rose to the highest since 2016.Pressure is building on Beijing to contain a new SARS-like virus that's killed at least 17 people and infected hundreds. The coronavirus first appeared last month in the city of Wuhan in central China, a city with 11 million residents -- more than in London or New York -- that's now essentially in lockdown after officials halted public travel.Inside China's Virus Zone, Unease Grips a City in Lockdown"Fear and panic are rampant," said Wang Daixin, a fund manager at Bristlecon Pine Asset Management Ltd. "It's hard to tell how bad things will get before a turn for the better. I didn't get out when I had the chance to, so now I might as well sit it out rather than lose money. Others are offloading at whatever cost."The virus and its potential impact on the economy and financial system pose a growing challenge for President Xi Jinping. It c
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Oil prices fell to their lowest in seven weeks on Thursday, sliding more than 1% on concern that the spread of a respiratory virus from China may lower fuel demand if it stunts economic growth in an echo of the SARS epidemic nearly 20 years ago.
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Travel links to city shut down in bid to curb worst viral outbreak since Sars in 2003
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Asian shares tumbled on Thursday, led by the biggest slide in Chinese stocks in more than eight months, as investors grew more anxious about the spread of a new flu-like virus in China just as millions prepared to travel for the Lunar New Year.
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U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to rip up international trade deals and rebalance America's global trade relationships.
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 U.S. home sales jumped to their highest level in nearly two years in December, the latest indication that lower mortgage rates are helping the housing market to regain its footing after hitting a soft patch in 2018, though record low inventory could be an obstacle to continued strong gains. The report from the National Association of Realtors on Wednesday followed on the heels of government data last week showing homebuilding raced to a 13-year high in December. Renewed housing market momentum could soften some of the hit on the economy from manufacturing as the thaw in U.S.-China trade tensions is offset by Boeing's suspension this month of production of its troubled 737 MAX plane.
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 (Bloomberg) -- Texas Instruments Inc. gave a quarterly sales and profit forecast that was in line with estimates, indicating that demand from electronics makers is poised to improve amid progress resolving the China-U.S. trade dispute.First-quarter earnings will be 96 cents a share to $1.14 a share, on revenue of $3.12 billion to $3.38 billion, the Dallas-based company said Wednesday in a statement. On average, analysts predicted profit of $1.04 a share and sales of $3.2 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.Texas Instruments has the biggest customer list and widest product range in the semiconductor industry, making its earnings an indicator of demand across the economy. The company has told investors the electronics business is in the middle of a typical cyclical decline after companies ordered too many parts last year. Such gluts typically last five quarters. In Wednesday's report, which also included fourth-quarter results, Texas Instruments posted its fifth consecutive period of year-over-year revenue declines."Most markets showed signs of stabilizing," the company said in the statement.The company's forecast for the first quarter was held back by the outlook for the communications equipment industry, which is "going down hard," Chief Financial Officer Rafael Lizardi said during a conference call. Texas Instruments' key industrial and automotive markets are close to returning to growth, he said.Shares fell about 1% in extended trading after closing at $133.
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U.S. and global business leaders in Davos are privately expressing concerns about the coronavirus from China.
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President Trump touted what he described as a "blue-collar boom" transforming the U.S. economy and hailed his trade agreement with China in a speech to global business and government leaders, hours before his impeachment trial was set to begin.
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