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The Dow Jones Industrial Average skidded 276.40 points (2.26 percent) to 11,954.71 in closing trade.
The Nasdaq Composite tumbled 52.74 points (1.93 percent) to 2,684.41, while the S&P 500 index, a broader measure of the markets, slid 31.87 points (2.48 percent) to 1,253.21.