US STOCKS-Wall St extends recent selloff, Dow all but erases "Trump-bump"

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* S&P 500 losses trigger another trading halt
* Indexes down: Dow 6.3%, S&P 500 5.2%, Nasdaq 4.7%

(Updates to close)
By Caroline Valetkevitch
NEW YORK, March 18 (Reuters) - U.S. stocks deepened their
selloff on Wednesday and the Dow effectively erased the last of
its gains since U.S. President Donald Trump's 2017 inauguration,
as repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic threatened to
cripple economic activity.
The benchmark S&P 500 index ended off of its lows of the
session but still down 5.2%, extending the recent plunge that
ended Wall Street's longest-ever bull run. The S&P 500 is now
down about 29% from its Feb. 19 record closing high.
With airports and hotels emptying and airlines asking staff
to take unpaid leave to stem losses, the S&P 1500 airlines index
.SPCOMAIR sank 20.8%. Shares in Hilton HLT.N , Marriott
MAR.O and Hyatt H.N hotels fell by about 12% to 19%.
"The market's really reacting to fear and uncertainty and we
don't think it's over until it finds a floor on stock prices.
The floor will have to be found in containment of the viral
spread and limiting the economic toll of the virus," said Nela
Richardson, investment strategist at Edward Jones.
Trump's request for Congress to approve $500 billion in cash
payments to taxpayers along with $50 billion in loans for
airlines did little to stem the rout.
In one of the most dire forecasts yet issued for the
potential hit from the coronavirus epidemic, a JP Morgan
economist said the U.S. economy could shrink 4% this quarter and
14% next quarter, and for the year it is likely to shrink 1.5%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 1,338.46
points, or 6.3%, to 19,898.92, the S&P 500 .SPX lost 131.09
points, or 5.18%, to 2,398.1 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC
dropped 344.94 points, or 4.7%, to 6,989.84.
The day's selling at one point triggered another 15-minute
trading cutout at a 7% decline in yet another day of volatile
trading. The Cboe Volatility index .VIX ended up at 76.45.
The S&P 500's collapse into a bear market, among the fastest
in history, has prompted some calls for a pause in trading.
"This market went from a position of where we were fearless
back at the beginning of February to some days like today where
you feel hopeless about what's going on in the market," said
Wayne Wicker, chief investment officer of Vantagepoint
Investment Advisers.
U.S. crude futures fell nearly 17% on Wednesday having
touched their lowest in 18 years, while the S&P 500 energy
sector .SPNY closed at its lowest since early 2003.