NEW YORK Cheap Jerseys China , Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks fell sharply Thursday with all three major indices plunging more than 1 percent, as a slump in durable goods orders and escalating geopolitical risks spooked investors.
The benchmark indices suffered their worst single-day declines in nearly two months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at a session low of 16,945.80 points, diving 264.26 points, or 1.54 percent. The S&P 500 sank 32.31 points Cheap Jerseys , or 1.62 percent, to 1,965. 99. The Nasdaq Composite Index skidded 88.47 points, or 1.94 percent, to 4 Wholesale Authentic Soccer Jerseys ,466.75, weighed down by Apple.
The S&P 500's 10 sectors all ended in negative territory, with technology and financials leading the laggards.
New orders for manufactured durable goods tumbled 18.2 percent in August, said the U.S. Commerce Department Thursday. The decline partially offset a surge of 22.5 percent in July driven by strong demand for commercial aircraft.
Meanwhile, the number of Americans who initially applied for jobless benefits in the week ending Sept. 20 rose 12 Wholesale Soccer Jerseys ,000 to a seasonally adjusted 293,000, reported the U.S. Labor Department. Despite the increase, initial claims remained near a pre-recession low, a sign that the U.S. labor market was steadily improving.
U.S. service sector activity continued to expand in September but at a slower pace Wholesale Jerseys From China , said financial data firm Markit. The seasonally adjusted Flash U.S. Services Purchasing Managers' Index posted 58.5 in September, down from August's final reading of 59.5 but still well above the neutral 50.0 threshold.
Analysts also cited rising geopolitical risks in Russia as a reason for the slump, after reports showed that a draft law submitted to Russia's parliament Wednesday would allow Russian courts to seize foreign assets on its territory.
In corporate news, Apple shares were slammed on Thursday, dropping 3.81 percent to end at 97.87 U.S. dollars apiece Wholesale Jerseys China , as the iPhone maker was struggling to fix glitches in its new operating system.
Market volatility increased remarkably during this week, but analysts said it was still below historical average.
The CBOE Volatility Index, often referred to as Wall Street's fear gauge, jumped 17.86 percent to end at 15.64 on Thursday.
In other markets, the dollar advanced against most major currencies and it rose versus the euro as the Federal Reserve is expected to raise interest rate in 2015 while the European Central Bank may take more stimulus measures.
In late New York trading Wholesale Jerseys , the euro slipped to 1.2747 dollars from 1.2781 dollars in the previous session. The greenback bought 108.69 Japanese yen, lower than 108.99 yen of the previous session.
U.S. crude prices fell as weak U.S. economic data outweighed geopolitical risk in the Middle East. Light, sweet crude for November slipped 27 cents to settle at 92.53 dollars a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Gold futures on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange rose on a sharp drop in the U.S. equities. The most active gold contract for December delivery rose 2.4 dollars, or 0. 2 percent, t