Stock exchange halts trading after steep losses due to coronavirus

Trading halted briefly on Wall Street Monday morning after a rout of stock prices caused a selloff of more than 7% due to fallout from the coronavirus.

The 15-minute halt followed rules implemented after the stock market plunge of 2008-09.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 1,800 points after the opening bell. The markets also are being affected by plunging oil prices.

Trading resumed after the 15-minute “circuit breaker,” and the selloff continued.

Markets in Europe were also down about 7% on Monday.