A sign posted on a door at a store near Pike Place Market, an area tourist attraction, requests credit card payments only, Wednesday, March 11, 2020, in Seattle. In efforts to slow the spread of the new coronavirus, Washington state Gov. Jay Inslee announced a ban on large public gatherings in three counties in the metro Seattle area. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
March 12, 2020
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March 12, 2020 9:23 a.m.
Nervous consumers around world pull back amid viral outbreak
WASHINGTON (AP) — Buffeted by fears of the fast-spreading coronavirus, consumers in the United States and overseas are showing increasing signs of cutting back on spending in what amounts to a severe threat to economic growth.