Stocks across the world tumbled on Thursday as the death toll from a virus spreading in China reached 170, forcing airlines to cut flights and stores to close as the potential economic hit from the outbreak came into focus. MSCI world equity index .MIWD00000PUS, which tracks shares in 49 countries, fell 0.5% as European shares followed Asian indexes into the red, stoking demand for the perceived security of safe-haven assets from bonds to gold. Europe’s broad STOXX 600 fell 0.9% in early trade, with indexes in Frankfurt .GDAXI , Paris .FCHI and London .FTSE lost between 0.7%-1.3%. Adding to the gloom, disappointing earnings and trading updates weighed further on blue-chip stocks. Royal Dutch Shell ( RDSa.L ) fell 4.8% after fourth-quarter profit halved to […]