The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 89.68 points (0.78 percent) to 11,404.04 in the first minutes of trade.
The broader S&P 500-stock index dropped 10.74 points (0.90 percent) to 1,177.30, while the tech-rich Nasdaq slid 18.60 points (0.74 percent) to 2,502.68.
"Escalating concerns about European debt are once again dominating the headlines. Most notably, a disappointing auction of German bonds is weighing on Wall Street," said Andrea Kramer at Schaeffer's Investment Research.
The main indexes closed lower Tuesday after a downward revision to the US gross domestic product growth rate for the third quarter and persistent concerns about high debt levels in Europe and the United States.