Mounting coronavirus fears knockdown Wall Street

(Reuters) - U.S. stock indexes fell on Thursday, dragged down by technology heavyweights, as investors fretted over the rising number of coronavirus cases in China and other countries as well as the potential economic damage from the epidemic.

Indexes dropped sharply in late morning trade, with some traders attributing the move to a Global Times report that a central Beijing hospital had reported 36 new cases, leading many to fear a potential explosion of infections in the capital.

"The story suggests that the virus has spread to medical workers and people who help clean hospitals, so the markets are shook up by that," said Keith Bliss, senior vice-president at Cuttone & Co in New York.