US close: Markets fall in volatile day of trade

US stocks staged a late come-back on Wednesday, after plummeting earlier in the session, as concerns over the Eurozone economy and weak economic data weighed heavily on markets.

The S&P 500 closed 15.19 down to 1,862.51 points, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rebounded from a 460-point plunge but still fell 173.33 to 16,141.86 points and the Nasdaq dropped 11.85 to 4,215.32 points.

In Europe, German Bund yields fell to a record low on as fears over a deteriorating Eurozone economic outlook continued to mount, after another credit rating blow for France and "free falling" inflation expectations dominated the market.

On Wednesday, Commerce Department figures showed retail sales in the US fell more than expected in September, with a 0.3% decline exceeding the 0.2% fall estimated by estimates, following a 0.6% gain in August, the biggest increase in four months.

The producer price index for September fell 0.1% as opposed to expectations of a 0.1% gain.

Meanwhile, sales at automobile dealers fell 0.8%, the most since January, after a 1.9% increase the prior month.

According to data from Ward’s Automotive Group, sales fell to a 16.3m annualised rate in September, its lowest level since April, from a 17.5m pace a month earlier that was the highest since January 2006.

In corporate news, Bank of America dropped 4.60% after reporting a third-quarter loss that was smaller than expected, while Abbvie Inc. shares rose 0.92% following a sharp fall in pre-market trading after the drug maker said it was reconsidering a $51bn deal to buy Shire, as the deal was made less appealing by a new set of rules introduced by the Treasury.

As a result, Shire shares dropped sharply, losing 30.29% in New York and 23.65% in London, where they weighed heavily on the FTSE 100.

Netflix plummeted 18% after announcing its quarterly results and revealing it added 3.02m of new subscribers, missing out on a previous estimate of 3.69m. The online video streaming company said it estimates fourth quarter sales to total $1.31bn, with earnings per share to be at 44 cents.

Qualcomm Inc. dropped 0.92%, despite announcing it had offered to buy UK chip maker CSR for $2.5bn, while Ebay lost up to 4% after the bell, after lowering full year revenue from $17.95bn to $17.85bn

Firms that have benefited from the growing concerns about the Ebola virus rallied once again on Wednesday, with Lakeland Industries rising 10.13%, while Versar soared 64.29% and Alpha Pro Tech gained 11.41%.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell 6 basis points to 2.13%, while the five-year note yield shed 10 basis points to 1.34% and the 30-year bond yield rebounded from a 20 basis points fall and was down three basis points to 2.92%.

The dollar dropped sharply against the euro and the yen, losing almost 1.5% against both currencies, while the greenback dropped over half a percentage point against the pound.

West Texas intermediate crude dropped almost half a percentage point and closed at just over $81.5 a barrel.

S&P 500 - Risers
Southwestern Energy Co. (SWN) $35.69 +7.82%
Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. (COG) $30.30 +6.39%
Eog Resources Inc. (EOG) $88.17 +5.16%
Helmerich & Payne Inc. (HP) $82.40 +5.14%
EQT Corp. (EQT) $82.19 +4.89%
Range Resources Corp. (RRC) $65.71 +4.37%
Air Products & Chemicals Inc. (APD) $126.27 +4.35%
Pioneer Natural Resources Co. (PXD) $171.58 +4.13%
CONSOL Energy Inc. (CNX) $33.67 +3.79%
Williams Companies Inc. (WMB) $49.71 +3.74%

S&P 500 - Fallers
Covidien Plc (COV) $85.86 -7.04%
Hudson City Bancorp Inc. (HCBK) $8.87 -5.84%
Keycorp (KEY) $12.14 -5.82%
Bank of America Corp. (BAC) $15.76 -4.60%
Regions Financial Corp. (RF) $9.10 -4.41%
Comerica Inc. (CMA) $43.88 -4.40%
PNC Financial Services Group (PNC) $78.00 -4.40%
St Jude Medical Inc. (STJ) $57.28 -4.39%
Molson Coors Brewing Co. Class B (TAP) $68.36 -4.31%
JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $55.53 -4.24%

Dow Jones I.A - Risers
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $98.21 +1.24%
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DD) $66.43 +0.83%
General Electric Co. (GE) $24.28 +0.75%
Nike Inc. (NKE) $85.18 +0.11%
AT&T Inc. (T) $33.87 +0.09%
3M Co. (MMM) $134.22 +0.03%

Dow Jones I.A - Fallers
JP Morgan Chase & Co. (JPM) $55.53 -4.24%
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) $75.20 -3.57%
Merck & Co. Inc. (MRK) $54.73 -2.84%
Intel Corp. (INTC) $31.27 -2.69%
Home Depot Inc. (HD) $87.85 -2.50%
Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $82.08 -2.45%
American Express Co. (AXP) $80.93 -2.19%
Travelers Company Inc. (TRV) $91.99 -1.80%
Boeing Co. (BA) $120.19 -1.72%
Visa Inc. (V) $200.25 -1.22%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Nxp Semiconductors Nv (NXPI) $58.61 +3.59%
Baidu Inc. (BIDU) $205.73 +3.35%
Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $153.53 +2.96%
Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI) $18.72 +2.80%
CH Robinson Worldwide Inc (CHRW) $67.10 +2.32%
Altera Corp. (ALTR) $31.52 +2.17%
Adobe Systems Inc. (ADBE) $62.19 +2.15%
Garmin Ltd. (GRMN) $51.86 +2.13%
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. (REGN) $334.75 +2.04%
Xilinx Inc. (XLNX) $37.58 +1.84%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
Liberty Interactive Corp (QVCA) $23.66 -14.71%
Monster Beverage Corp (MNST) $91.42 -3.24%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $101.10 -3.03%
Vodafone Group Plc ADS (VOD) $29.82 -2.87%
Kraft Foods Group, Inc. (KRFT) $54.53 -2.69%
Intel Corp. (INTC) $31.27 -2.69%
Fiserv Inc. (FISV) $61.73 -1.97%
Akamai Technologies Inc. (AKAM) $54.63 -1.83%
Ross Stores Inc. (ROST) $76.46 -1.77%
Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) $124.30 -1.54%