Markets

US stocks sink after Italy, Spain ratings cut

Published Updated

The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 19.00 points (0.17 percent) to 11,104.33 in closing trade, snapping a three-day winning streak.

The broader S&P 500 fell 9.44 points (0.81 percent) to 1,155.53, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite lost 28.62 points (1.14 percent) to 2,478.20.

Stocks had posted moderate gains in early trade, buoyed by the jobs report that showed the economy created a net nonfarm 103,000 payrolls in September, more than analysts anticipated.

But equity markets turned south shortly after noon on news that Fitch Ratings had downgraded the debt of Italy and Spain, reflecting risks associated with the eurozone sovereign debt crisis gripping Greece, Ireland and Portugal.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011