US stock indexes opened sharply lower on Thursday as deaths from the coronavirus rose in the United States, forcing California to declare a state of emergency, while crippled travel demand hit airline stocks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 418.94 points, or 1.55%, at the open to 26,671.92.
The S&P 500 opened lower by 54.42 points, or 1.74%, at 3,075.70. The Nasdaq Composite dropped 228 points, or 2.53%, to 8,790.09 at the opening bell.
