US markets suffer sharpest drop since mid-May in losses sparked by China refusal to bail out indebted property developer
The IndependentSign up to our free money newsletter for investment analysis and expert advice to help you build wealth Sign up to our free money email for help building your wealth Sign up to our free money email for help building your wealth SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Wall Street has suffered its sharpest drop since May as the S&P 500 fell 1.7 per cent, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down 614 points, or 1.8 per cent. The tech-focused Nasdaq also fell 2.2 per cent in a wild day of trading sparked by a number of emerging risks, including the prospect that one of China’s largest property developers may default on hundreds of billions of dollars of debt. Investors are worried that China Evergrande Group’s problems may cause a ripple effect through financial markets — the Hang Seng index dropped four per cent as default looms for the company. The pandemic also remains a concern with cases of Covid-19 stubbornly remaining at levels last seen in January as the Delta variant continues to circulate causing large-scale hospitalisations and deaths, almost entirely among unvaccinated individuals.