Stocks fall over worries about virus outbreak

— Stocks fell on Wall NEW YORK Street in midday trading Thursday as investors worried that a deadly virus outbreak in China could continue spreading and hurt the global economy.

The slump for U.S. indexes follows a sell-off for global markets as authorities worldwide take measures to monitor and contain the virus. The central Chinese city of Wuhan, where the virus is concentrated, closed down its train station and airport Thursday to prevent people from entering or leaving the city.

The coronavirus has been confirmed in five countries, including China, the U.S., Thailand, Japan and South Korea. More than 500 people have fallen sick and 17 have died from the illness, which can cause pneumonia and other severe respiratory symptoms. A World Health Organization committee was scheduled to meet for a second day Thursday as it decides whether to declare China’s virus outbreak a global health emergency.

Banks and other financial companies led the losses. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 1.72% from 1.77% late Wednesday. Financial institutions rely on higher bond yields to set lucrative interest rates on mortgages and other loans. Bank of America fell 1.5%.

Health care stocks also broadly fell. Edwards LifeSciences, which makes heart valves, slipped 5.6%.

Crude oil prices slumped and weighed on energy stocks. Exxon Mobil fell 1.5%.

Utilities and real estate companies held onto slight gains as investors shifted money into the safe-play sectors.