Stock market crash risk is adding appeal to conservative investments for those who are concerned about the rapid spread of the deadly coronavirus that is one of many possible “Black Swan” events that could tank stocks quickly.

The coronavirus not only has infected more than 40,000 people and killed more than 900 since it surfaced in late 2019 but it also is slowing economic activity in China, as well as cutting demand for oil, reducing fuel prices and hurting the share price of energy stocks such as Exxon Mobil (NYSE:XOM). The World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a “public health emergency” of international concern, while the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised Americans against traveling to China and enacted mandatory federal quarantines for those arriving from the Wuhan region of the Asian nation that has produced the most cases.

The CDC is preparing for the coronavirus outbreak to turn into a pandemic, which means it would become an ongoing epidemic on two or more continents. Such spread of the coronavirus runs the risk of requiring quarantines and causing economic slowdowns in more countries than China and in continents beyond Asia.

Paul Dykewicz interviews Bob Carlson (left), who leads the Retirement Watch service and chairs the Board of Trustees of Virginia’s Fairfax County Employees’ Retirement System.

Paul Dykewicz interviews Hilary Kramer, whose new 2-Day Trader service has notched profits in 81 percent of its trades for an average return of 9.65 percent since its launch last July.

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Paul Dykewicz, www.pauldykewicz.com, is an accomplished, award-winning journalist who has written for Dow Jones, the Wall Street Journal, Investor’s Business Daily, USA Today, the Journal of Commerce,Seeking Alpha, GuruFocus and other publications and websites. Paul is the editor of StockInvestor.com and DividendInvestor.com, a writer for both websites and a columnist. He further is the editorial director of Eagle Financial Publications in Washington, D.C., where he edits monthly investment newsletters, time-sensitive trading alerts, free e-letters and other investment reports. Paul previously served as business editor of Baltimore’s Daily Record newspaper. Paul also is the author of an inspirational book, “Holy Smokes! Golden Guidance from Notre Dame’s Championship Chaplain,” with a foreword by former national championship-winning football coach Lou Holtz.The book is endorsed by Joe Montana, Joe Theismann, Ara Paseghian, “Rocket” Ismail, Reggie Brooks, Dick Vitale and many others. Follow Paul on Twitter @PaulDykewicz.