Fed Chair Sees Virus As Risk To World Economy

WASHINGTON (AP) – Just as the outlook for the global economy had been brightening, a new threat has emerged in the form of the viral outbreak in China. That was the cautionary message Chairman Jerome Powell delivered after the Federal Reserve held interest rates low. Powell said the signing of a preliminary U.S.-China trade deal, the resolution of Brexit and low rates in the U.S. and abroad had suggested that the world economy would expand more quickly. That’s now threatened by the virus.