Investors dumped stocks and flocked to traditionally safer assets like government bonds and gold this week on escalating worries that the coronavirus epidemic would crimp global growth.

The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note touched its lowest level since September on Friday, settling at 1.470% after earlier approaching the all-time low of 1.366% from 2016. Yields on even longer-dated Treasurys fell to a record low. Gold prices, meanwhile, climbed for the seventh consecutive session to a seven-year high and...