Coronavirus can impact U.S. market without becoming full-blown epidemic here: Expert

The highly-contagious coronavirus — already leaving 17 people dead, infecting hundreds of others and locking down three cities in China — can shock the U.S. stock market without the illness growing into a full-blown epidemic here, an economist told the Herald on Thursday.

The virus’ impact on the global economy all depends on how fast it spreads, said Gary Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

“If the number affected in China multiplies into the tens of thousands of people, which is certainly possible, that can...