Reuters Business News

Bargain-hunting investors are eyeing the shares of airlines, hotels, cruise lines and other companies that have been among the worst-hit by the coronavirus outbreak.

Bank of America Corp is splitting its trading staff with about 100 employees working out of the Stamford location effective Monday, according to a source familiar with the matter.

The Trump administration may take targeted steps to stimulate the U.S. economy amid the coronavirus outbreak that is likely to temporarily drag down some sectors, White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said on Friday.

Canada's official guidance on the novel coronavirus has been to test patients who recently traveled to affected areas, but some doctors and hospitals have expanded testing on their own, finding the first in a series of patients linked to Iran before the scale of the Iranian outbreak was known.

U.S. stock indexes tumbled on Friday as fears of economic damage intensified with the global tally of coronavirus cases crossing 100,000, sending investors scurrying to the safety of bonds.

France will close nurseries and schools for 15 days from Monday in the two areas most hit by coronavirus infections, one north of Paris and the other in the northeastern part of the country, its prime minister said on Friday.

Iraq reported eight new coronavirus cases on Friday, 5 in Baghdad, 2 in Sulaimaniya and one case in Karbala, state news agency reported quoting health ministry.

The number of people in New York state who have tested positive for the coronavirus has increased by 11 to 33, governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday.

U.S. stock indexes tumbled on Friday as fears of economic damage intensified with the global tally of coronavirus cases crossing 100,000, sending investors scurrying to the safety of bonds.

Iraq reported a death by coronavirus in the city of Karbala, bringing total death count by coronavirus to three in the country, state news agency reported on Friday.

Oil prices tanked over 8% on Friday and hit their lowest since mid-2017 after Russia balked at OPEC's proposed steep production cuts to stabilize prices as the coronavirus outbreak slows the global economy and hurts energy demand.

At a face mask factory just outside the South Korean capital of Seoul, workers are churning out 300,000 masks a day - and it's still not enough.

Italy's competition watchdog said on Friday it had fined former phone monopoly Telecom Italia (TIM) 116 million euros ($131 million) for abusing its dominant position in the broadband market in an attempt to obstruct the entrance of rivals.

The United Nations has canceled meetings in Bonn, Germany, and elsewhere planned in the run-up to a crucial U.N. climate summit to be held in Glasgow, Scotland, in November due to the coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Friday.

(This corrects paragraph eight of March 4 story to quote UNCTAD report saying Honda's output will be reduced in March, rather than plants closed, and deletes reference to Hyundai.)

France has 613 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the head of the public health service, Jerome Salomon, said on Friday, which is an increase of 190 compared to a day earlier.

As the new coronavirus spreads and worldwide deaths linked to it top 3,400, global alarm is growing and has caused everything from consumer runs on face masks to mass school closures.

Iraq has banned entry to travelers coming from France and Spain, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday, bringing the total number of countries on its entry ban list to 11 as it tries to stem the spread of coronavirus.

Morgan Stanley is shifting part of its London-based sales and trading staff to a secondary site near Heathrow airport to ensure its trading desks can operate smoothly through the coronavirus outbreak, two sources familiar with the matter said.

The number of people infected with coronavirus across the world surpassed 100,000 on Friday as the outbreak reached more countries and the economic damage intensified, with business districts beginning to empty and stock markets tumbling.