DUBAI: Saudi Arabia closed off air and sea travel to nine countries affected by the new coronavirus Monday as Middle Eastern stock markets tumbled over fears about the widening outbreak’s effect on the global economy. The state oil giant Saudi Aramco led the financial losses, dropping by 10 percent on Riyadh’s Tadawul stock exchange and forcing a halt to Aramco’s trading. Tadawul remained open, but Boursa Kuwait shut down within 30 minutes of opening Monday as stocks again dropped by 10 percent, the third such emergency halt to trading in recent days.

AP