by Judith Stein and Biodun Iginla, BBC News business reporters, New York
1 hour ago
European markets also fell, with the UK's FTSE 100 closing down 3% and France's Cac 40 and Germany's Dax about 2.4% lower.
Earlier, figures for August showed factory activity in China contracting at its fastest pace in three years.
The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) dropped to 49.7 from 50 in July. A figure below 50 indicates contraction.
It follows recent turmoil in the markets sparked by concerns over a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.
"The importance of today's announcement is that the slowdown is hitting the larger state-backed firms who typically take longer to feel the pain," said Josh Mahony from online trading firm IG Index.
"There are precious few signs that China is beginning to recover, and while [the People's Bank of China's] action can provide a temporary reprieve, we are yet to see any evidence that it is doing any good to the economy," he added.
Before Tuesday's fall, the price of oil had risen by about 25% in the past three trading sessions.
The S&P 500 was also down about 2% at 1,934.18, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq was 1.6% lower at 4,699.21.
Global markets sustained heavy losses in August - for both the UK's FTSE 100 and the US's S&P 500, it was the worst month since May 2012.
As well as the poor China factory data, investors are unsure about the US central bank's next move. Many had pencilled in the a rate rise - the first move since the financial crisis - for September. However, given the recent stock turmoil, analysts seem less certain.
"The volatility is here to stay for a while, or at least till the Fed gives us an indication regarding a rate increase," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York.
"Right now, they are being quite cagey."
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1 hour ago
Renewed fears over growth in China have hit global stock markets, with the main indexes falling sharply.
Wall Street traded sharply lower, with the Dow Jones down more than 300 points, or 1.9%, at 16,215.European markets also fell, with the UK's FTSE 100 closing down 3% and France's Cac 40 and Germany's Dax about 2.4% lower.
Earlier, figures for August showed factory activity in China contracting at its fastest pace in three years.
The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) dropped to 49.7 from 50 in July. A figure below 50 indicates contraction.
It follows recent turmoil in the markets sparked by concerns over a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.
"The importance of today's announcement is that the slowdown is hitting the larger state-backed firms who typically take longer to feel the pain," said Josh Mahony from online trading firm IG Index.
"There are precious few signs that China is beginning to recover, and while [the People's Bank of China's] action can provide a temporary reprieve, we are yet to see any evidence that it is doing any good to the economy," he added.
August losses
Energy companies led the way down on the Dow, with Chevron and Exxon Mobil down about 3%. This followed a fall in the oil price, which was down more than 4% at $51.89.Before Tuesday's fall, the price of oil had risen by about 25% in the past three trading sessions.
The S&P 500 was also down about 2% at 1,934.18, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq was 1.6% lower at 4,699.21.
Global markets sustained heavy losses in August - for both the UK's FTSE 100 and the US's S&P 500, it was the worst month since May 2012.
As well as the poor China factory data, investors are unsure about the US central bank's next move. Many had pencilled in the a rate rise - the first move since the financial crisis - for September. However, given the recent stock turmoil, analysts seem less certain.
"The volatility is here to stay for a while, or at least till the Fed gives us an indication regarding a rate increase," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York.
"Right now, they are being quite cagey."
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