ECB chief warns of growing risk from coronavirus

FILE PHOTO: The European Central Bank (ECB) logo is pictured before a news conference on the outcome of the meeting of the Governing Council in Frankfurt, Germany, January 23, 2020. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The coronavirus outbreak in China is adding to global economic uncertainty, compounding already ample risk from trade protectionism, European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said on Wednesday.

"The short-term uncertainties are mainly related to global risks – trade, geopolitical and now the outbreak of the coronavirus and its potential effect on global growth," Lagarde said in a speech in Paris.

"While the threat of a trade war between the United States and China appears to have receded, the coronavirus adds a new layer of uncertainty."

(Reporting by Balazs Koranyi; Editing by Kevin Liffey)