https://apnews.com/42aa56b7278ce01c90debd95e9506729

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks fell in early trading Thursday as China reported a spike in cases of the new virus that threatens to crimp economic growth and hurt businesses worldwide.

China reported the sharp rise in cases and deaths after the hardest-hit province of Hubei took a new approach to classifying and diagnosing the virus. The latest figures dashed hopes that the spread of the outbreak was peaking, which had helped lift stocks throughout the week.