Stocks slide, oil up as Syria tensions escalate

Fear of US military intervention in Syria sends stocks falling; Gold and oil prices jump

8/27/2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS
  • Wall-Street-357

    Specialist James Sciulli works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2013. Worries about a potential military strike against Syria are dragging down the U.S. stock market in early trading. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

    ASSOCIATED PRESS

    • NEW YORK — Mounting tensions with Syria sent the stock market sharply lower and pushed the price of crude oil to an 18-month high.

    The Dow Jones industrial average lost 170 points, or 1.1 percent, to 14,776 today, the lowest close in two months.

    The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 26 points, or 1.6 percent, to 1,630. The Nasdaq composite fell 79 points, or 2.2 percent, to 3,578.

    Airline stocks fell sharply as the spike in crude oil brought the threat of higher fuel costs.

    Crude oil jumped $3.09, or 2.9 percent, to $109.01 a barrel, the highest since February, 2012.

    Gold and bond prices rose.

    Six stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange. Volume was about average, 3.2 billion shares.