World shares mostly lower after Dow drops more than 1,000

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

(AP) — Shares have opened lower in Europe after a mixed day in Asia following Wall Street’s worst session in two years.

Benchmarks fell Tuesday in Germany, France and Japan as the number of people confirmed infected with a new virus rose both inside and outside China.

A growing number of companies are forecasting their profits will suffer from disruptions caused by efforts to contain the virus that was first reported in central China.

Overnight, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped more than 1,000 points, wiping out its gains so far for 2020 as nervous investors scrambled for safety, loading up on gold, U.S. government bonds and other safe-harbor assets.