Stock markets skid as Covid-19 worries heighten

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1,031.61 points, or 3.56%, to 27,960.8, the S&P 500 lost 111.86 points, or 3.35%, to 3,225.89 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 355.31 points, or 3.71%, to 9,221.28.

NEW YORK: Stocks across the globe fell by the most since mid-2016 on Monday and oil prices tumbled as a jump in coronavirus cases outside of China drove investors to the perceived safety of gold and government bonds on fears of the impact on the global economy.

Spot gold prices rose for a fifth straight session and touched a 7-year high while the U.S. 30-year Treasury bond yield set a record low. MSCI's global gauge of stocks fell 3% and the three major U.S. indexes also fell more than 3%.