Economists Warn Virus May Trigger Global Recession

The United States is unlikely to escape the widening economic fallout due to the coronavirus contagion that began in China and has now spread to 27 other nations, and a growing number of economists warn the crisis could push the already-shaky world economy into a global recession.

Enodo Economics chief economist Diana Choyleva told CNBC on Tuesday the virus had come at a “very bad time for China,” which is still reeling from U.S. tariffs on trade, protests in Hong Kong, and a massive debt now about three times its annual GDP. She predicted the repercussions could easily trigger “a technical recession in China in the first half of this year.”