US close: Markets tumble as airline stocks slide

US stocks fell on Wednesday, amid growing signs of economic weakness in Europe and increasing concerns over Ebola, after a first case was confirmed in Texas on Tuesday.

The S&P 500 dropped 1.32% to 1,946.16 points, its lowest level since 12 August, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed 238.19 down to 16,804.71points and the Nasdaq lost 71.31 to 4,422.08 points.

The Dow Jones Transportation Average dropped the most since February as airline stocks slid after the first reported US case of Ebola, with American Airlines falling 3%, while Delta Airlines shed 3.4%.

Conversely, pharmaceuticals companies rose in the wake of the events in Texas, with Tekmira Pharmaceuticals, one the many firms involved in developing a treatment for Ebola, soaring 18%, while Sarepta Therapeutics rose 3%.

Lakeland Industries soared 30% amid heavy volume as investors took a punt on a maker of Hazmat-suit maker in the wake of Ebola case.

Acuity Brands soared 22% after the company reported sales growth, while New York Times shares rose following the newspaper’s announcement that it would cut 100 newsroom jobs to keep costs under control.

The dollar gained 0.1% against the euro, though it remained below Tuesday’s level, the highest level against the European currency since September 2012.

The greenback gained slightly against the pound but was in retreat against the yen, losing 0.5% after rising to the highest level against the Japanese currency since August 2008.

The 10-year treasury note dropped 0.10 to 2.39, while the 30-year treasury bond fell by the same margin to 3.09 and the five-year treasury note dropped nine percentage points to 1.68

Gold started the final quarter of 2014 on a strong note, as gold for December rose $3.90 to $1,215.50 an ounce, while December silver rose 10 cents to $17.48 an ounce.

West Texas intermediate fell 0.34% and traded just below $91 a barrel.

S&P 500 - Risers
Covidien Plc (COV) $88.68 +2.51%
NRG Energy Inc. (NRG) $31.19 +2.33%
Tyson Foods Inc. (TSN) $39.99 +1.57%
Exelon Corp. (EXC) $34.57 +1.41%
Borg Warner Inc. (BWA) $53.34 +1.39%
Edison International (EIX) $56.68 +1.36%
Northeast Utilities (NU) $44.89 +1.33%
Edwards Lifesciences Corp. (EW) $103.39 +1.21%
Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) $55.66 +1.02%
Southern Co. (SO) $44.09 +1.01%

S&P 500 - Fallers
Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $71.42 -14.03%
United States Steel Corp. (X) $37.13 -5.21%
Noble Corporation plc (NE) $21.08 -5.13%
Avon Products Inc. (AVP) $12.00 -4.76%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $107.25 -4.51%
Ensco Plc. (ESV) $39.60 -4.14%
Under Armour Inc. Class A (UA) $66.37 -3.95%
Discovery Communications Inc. Class A (DISCA) $36.31 -3.94%
Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $55.08 -3.82%
Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) $50.45 -3.79%

Dow Jones I.A - Risers
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $42.74 +0.19%

Dow Jones I.A - Fallers
Intel Corp. (INTC) $33.99 -2.38%
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) $104.30 -2.15%
Boeing Co. (BA) $124.67 -2.13%
American Express Co. (AXP) $85.81 -1.98%
General Electric Co. (GE) $25.16 -1.80%
E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DD) $70.48 -1.78%
3M Co. (MMM) $139.18 -1.76%
Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $87.49 -1.73%
Nike Inc. (NKE) $87.70 -1.68%
United Technologies Corp. (UTX) $103.84 -1.67%

Nasdaq 100 - Risers
Autodesk Inc. (ADSK) $55.66 +1.02%
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ALXN) $167.20 +0.83%
Intuitive Surgical Inc. (ISRG) $462.80 +0.21%
DIRECTV (DTV) $86.59 +0.08%

Nasdaq 100 - Fallers
Automatic Data Processing Inc. (ADP) $71.42 -14.03%
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. (VRTX) $107.25 -4.51%
Vimpelcom Ltd Ads (VIP) $6.90 -4.43%
Discovery Communications Inc. Class A (DISCA) $36.31 -3.94%
Seagate Technology Plc (STX) $55.08 -3.82%
NetApp Inc. (NTAP) $41.33 -3.79%
Nxp Semiconductors Nv (NXPI) $66.01 -3.54%
Citrix Systems Inc. (CTXS) $68.82 -3.53%
Expedia Inc. (EXPE) $84.78 -3.24%
Illumina Inc. (ILMN) $158.70 -3.18%