Nasdaq, S&P 500 Slump To Lowest Closing Levels Since Early September

After coming under pressure early in the session, stocks saw even further downside over the course of the trading day on Thursday, ending the day sharply lower. With the steep losses, the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 dropped to their lowest closing levels since early last September.

The major averages ended the day just off their lows of the session. The Nasdaq plunged 521.74 points or 2.4 percent to 21,408.08, the S&P 500 tumbled 114.74 points or 1.7 percent to 6,477.16 and the Dow slumped 469.38 points or 1 percent to 45,960.11.