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| - Wall Street stocks tumbled again in opening trading Thursday on fears of a global slowdown due to the coronavirus, extending the run of volatility that has dominated markets in recent weeks. About 20 minutes into trading, the benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 2.8 percent, or more 750 points, at 26,324.68. The index surged nearly 1,200 points on Wednesday. The broad-based S&P 500 also slumped 2.2 percent to 3,048.51, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index sank 2.3 percent to 8,810.55. Stocks have zigzagged this week as investors have assimilated the latest on the spread of the coronavirus and the response of the Federal Reserve and other policy makers to combat the economic effects with stimulus, along with the shifting outlook of the US 2020 presidential race with the surge of former Vice President Joe Biden. On Thursdays, worries about the virus returned to the forefront as more companies warned of a profit hit from the outbreak. "The earnings warnings are just getting started," said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O'Hare. "That's why one can continue to expect heightened volatility in the market, because the warnings and the heightened uncertainty around earnings prospects diminishes faith in 'discounted valuations.'" Airline shares were down sharply after Southwest Airlines slashed its forecast for first-quarter revenues by $200 million to $300 million, citing a "significant decline" in bookings and uptick in trip cancelations in recent days. Shares of Southwest plunged 4.6 percent, while rival carriers Delta Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines all fell at least five percent. jmb/cs
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