US: Wall St slides on growing global demand concerns

[NEW YORK] US stocks fell sharply at the open on Tuesday on concerns about the impact of lower oil prices on the global economy and the effect of political turmoil in Greece on the euro zone.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 139.81 points, or 0.78 per cent, to 17,712.67, the S&P 500 lost 16.9 points, or 0.82 per cent, to 2,043.41 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 51.08 points, or 1.08 per cent, to 4,689.61.

Overnight, the Shanghai Composite Index dropped more than 5 per cent, its biggest drop in more than five years, also weighing on investor sentiment.

REUTERS