Coronavirus May Drag China GDP to 4.5% in First Quarter

(Bloomberg) -- China’s economy may grow as much as 1.4 percentage points slower than forecast in the first quarter if the coronavirus inflicts a severe-yet-temporary hit on output, according to Bloomberg Economics. Outside mainland China, Hong Kong faces the biggest blow, and Asian neighbors Korea and Japan would also be hurt. In a swiftly evolving situation, rapid containment and escalating contagion are both possibilities, and would result in widely different growth impacts.

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