SINGAPORE—Short-term sales of crude oil and liquefied natural gas into China almost ground to a halt this week as a coronavirus outbreak slowed economic activity and hurt demand, and buyers pondered legal action to avoid having to honor purchase agreements, trade sources said.
Typically, trade would have revived after the Lunar New Year holiday at the end of January, but China has extended the break into February to try to contain the fast-spreading virus, which has claimed nearly 500 lives.
