GLOBAL MARKETS-Pandemic fears jolt stock markets, bonds rally

© Reuters. GLOBAL MARKETS-Pandemic fears jolt stock markets, bonds rally

* Asian stock markets: https://tmsnrt.rs/2zpUAr4

* Tracking the coronavirus: https://tmsnrt.rs/3aIRuz7

* Asian stocks fall; CDC warns Americans on virus

* Treasury yields remain near record lows

* Japan stocks hit by fears of Olympics cancellation

* Oil gains, but more downside risks seen

By Stanley White

TOKYO, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Asian shares fell on Wednesday as

a U.S. warning to Americans to prepare for the possibility of a

coronavirus pandemic jolted Wall Street yet again and pushed

yields on safe-haven Treasuries to record lows.

The S&P 500 .SPX and the Dow Jones Industrial Average

.DJI both shed more than 3% on Tuesday in their fourth

straight session of losses. That led MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares

outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS down 1.1%. Japan was among the

worst-performing market in the region, weighed by growing

concerns the virus could force the cancellation of the Tokyo

Olympics.

Euro Stoxx 50 futures STXEc1 were down 0.36%, German DAX

futures FDXc1 fell 0.53%, while FTSE futures FFIc1 were off

0.4%.

Yields on 10-year and 30-year U.S. Treasuries teetered near

record lows and gold rose as worries about the economic impact

of the virus outbreak boosted safe-haven assets.

The World Health Organization says the epidemic has peaked

in China, but concern that its spread is accelerating in other

countries is likely to keep investors on edge.

"What we are seeing is share markets are playing catch up,"

said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in

Sydney.

"Other asset markets have been flashing warning signs for

weeks. A corrective bounce in equities is possible, but we still

have a lot of downward momentum."

Chinese shares .CSI300 fell 0.21%. Shares in South Korea

.KS211 , which has been rattled by a sudden rise in virus

infections, briefly hit a two-month low.

While the stock rout has been global, the recent pace of

selling in Asia has not been as severe as it has on Wall Street,

which has been hit hard by the escalation of virus cases outside

of Asia.

MSCI World .MIWO00000PUS , a market cap weighted stock

market index of 1,644 stocks from companies throughout the

world, has seen its total value fall by $3 trillion to $42.98

trillion over the past four trading sessions, Reuters

calculations show.

U.S. stock futures ESc1 rose 0.57% in Asia on Wednesday,

but that did little to brighten the mood.

Adding to recent fears was an alert from the U.S. Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday warning Americans

to prepare for the spread of coronavirus in the United States,

signalling a change in tone for the Atlanta-based U.S. health

agency. The virus has claimed almost 3,000 lives in mainland China

but has spread to dozens of other countries. Of increasing

concern to investors, however, in the rising death toll in other

countries.

Drastic travel restrictions slammed the brakes on China's

manufacturing and consumer spending, and there are worries other

countries will face similar disruptions.

The virus has also hit Japan's stocks hard on rising worries

it could lead to cancellation of the 2020 Summer Olympics

scheduled to start in Tokyo in July.

Japan's Nikkei stock index .N225 slid 0.92%, while shares

of Japan's Dentsu Group Inc 4324.T , an advertising agency

deeply involved in the planning and operation of the games, fell

to a seven-year low on Wednesday. Shares of sportswear makers and other companies related to

the Olympics have also fallen recently. The yield on benchmark 10-year Treasury notes US10YT=RR

traded at 1.3621% on Wednesday in Asia, close to a record low of

1.3070% The 30-year yield US30YT=RR stood at 1.8420%, above a

record low of 1.7860%.

The decline in yields weighed on the dollar. The greenback

was last quoted at 110.40 yen, continuing a pullback from a

10-month high of 112.23 yen. JPY=EBS

The dollar traded at $1.0876 per euro EUR=EBS , off an

almost three-year high of $1.0778 reached on Feb. 20.

Spot gold XAU= rose 0.57% to $1,644.38 per ounce as

investors sought safe havens. GOL/

Oil prices recovered some recent losses in Asia, but there

are lingering concerns that expected output cuts by major oil

producers will not be enough to offset a decline in global

energy demand caused by the virus.

U.S. crude CLc1 ticked up 0.72% to $50.26 a barrel. Brent

crude LCOc1 rose 0.56% to $55.26 per barrel. The Organization

of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including

Russia, a group known as OPEC+, have been sending signals that

they will cut output further. However, oil could come under more pressure as weekly U.S.

supply reports due later on Wednesday are expected to show a

rise in inventories, according to a Reuters poll. EIA/S

Global stocks' performance vs. reported coronavirus cases https://tmsnrt.rs/3c3WvTr

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