China's Baidu defers earnings date to 27 Feb as coronavirus outbreak threatens to affect business

China's Baidu Inc said on Friday it was delaying the announcement of its fourth-quarter results and advised its employees in the country to work from home for a time period after the Lunar New Year holiday due to the recent outbreak of a new coronavirus.The company, which postponed the announcement date by more than two weeks to 27 February, said the revised date would give it more time to observe the business condition for the first quarter of 2020.(Also read: Coronavirus outbreak FAQ: Face masks, safe meat, tips to stay safe from the deadly airborne infection)[caption id="attachment_7993531" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Baidu said it now expects fourth-quarter revenue in a range of £ 3.1 billion to Image: Reuters[/caption]The virus, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has spread across the world and prompted many companies to close stores and restrict travel to and from the country. The fast-spreading virus has killed over 200 people.Baidu, whose search engine dominates the market in China, said it now expects fourth-quarter revenue in a range of 28.3 billion yuan (3.1 billion pounds) to 28.9 billion yuan, compared with its previous forecast of 27.1 billion yuan to 28.7 billion yuan.Shares of Baidu were up about 5 percent in extended trading.