BRIEF-Fitch Ratings Says Coronavirus Set To Dampen China's Economic Growth

Fitch: * CORONAVIRUS SET TO DAMPEN CHINA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH

* ONGOING CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK WILL DAMPEN ECONOMIC GROWTH IN CHINA THIS YEAR * FITCH SAYS IF CHINESE GOVERNMENT WERE TO LAUNCH A LARGE-SCALE STIMULUS TO OFFSET EFFECTS OF CORONAVIRUS, IT COULD HAVE ADVERSE EFFECT ON OTHER POLICY GOALS

* STILL TOO EARLY TO MAKE DEFINITIVE ADJUSTMENTS TO CHINA'S GDP FORECASTS AT THIS STAGE & INSTEAD HAVE EXAMINED SOME ILLUSTRATIVE SCENARIOS * HUGE UNCERTAINTIES REMAIN OVER IMPACT OF CORONAVIRUS ON CHINA'S ECONOMY

* FITCH SAYS CHINA GOVERNMENT ONLY LIKELY LAUNCH LARGE-SCALE STIMULUS IF ECONOMIC IMPACT OF VIRUS PROVES SUBSTANTIALLY LARGER THAN SARS OUTBREAK IN 2003 * FITCH SAYS IF EPIDEMIC IS NOT CONTAINED UNTIL WELL INTO Q2, GROWTH COULD FALL MORE STEEPLY, CHINA GDP GROWTH IN 1Q20 COULD BE CLOSER TO 3% Source text for Eikon: