The key S&P 500 index was down more than 4% on Wednesday after a dire warning on the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus and heightened nerves over the upcoming earnings reporting season sent investors running from even the most defensive equities. Economic data showing a plunge in new orders for U.S.-made goods did not help, even as those numbers were not as bad as economists had feared. Also, business closures pushed private payrolls down by 27,000 jobs last month, in the first decline since September 2017, the ADP National Employment Report showed separately on Wednesday. {nL1N2BP0LV] The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average and benchmark S&P 500 indexes were set to extend losses after suffering their worst first quarter as President Donald Trump warned Americans of a “painful” two weeks ahead and health officials highlighted research predictions of an enormous jump in virus-related deaths. Roughly two weeks […]