Shares on the major stock market indexes in the United States opened the session with sharp losses on Monday, as worries related to the spread of the coronavirus mounted among traders. The investors were also anxious about the next monthly inflation reading, scheduled for release later this week.

In business news, video game maker Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. bought social game developer Zynga in a deal valued at $12.7 billion.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.4% as the session started. Nike was down by 4.37% as the benchmark's worst performer. The Nasdaq 100 plunged 1.37% at the open with Lululemon Athletica tumbling 7.82% a minute later. At the same time, the S&P 500 declined by 0.77%, as Take-Two Interactive surrendered 12.83%. Minutes after the open, the Dow Jones sank 200 points, with both the tech-heavy Nasdaq and the S&P following suit and accelerating losses.

The euro dropped 0.59% compared to the dollar at 9:33 am ET, selling for 1.12947.