NEW YORK, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- U.S. stocks closed lower on Thursday.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 703.84 points, or 1.32 percent, to 52,759.21. The S&P 500 sank 66.82 points, or 0.87 percent, to 7,641.16. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 263.925 points, or 1 percent, to 26,067.166.
Nine of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in the red, with consumer staples and health leading the laggards by dropping 1.93 percent and 1.89 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, energy and real estate led the gainers by adding 0.38 percent and 0.15 percent, respectively.
