Investing.com -- U.S. stocks fell sharply on Monday amid weak manufacturing data in China as the spillover effects from a crash in the Shanghai Composite Index weighed on domestic equities, contributing to one of the worst starts to a year by the Dow Jones Industrial Average since 1932.
At session lows on Monday, the Dow fell as much as 450 points after the China Caixin PMI index fell by 0.4 points to 48.2 in December, marking the 10th straight month of contractions in the Chinese manufacturing sector. The continued weakness in China manufacturing exacerbates fears of slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy, amid signals that Chinese annual GDP expansion could fall below 7% for the first time in more than a decade.
As a result, the Dow closed at 17,148.94, down 276.09 or 1.58% on the session extending losses from last week when it ended 2015 in negative territory, its first losing year since 2008. The NASDAQ Composite index and the S&P 500 Composite index also fell sharply on Monday, suffering one of their worst sessions over the last three months. The NASDAQ lost 104.32 or 2.08% to 4,903.09, while the S&P 500 dipped by 31.28 or 1.53% to 2,012.66, as all 10 sectors closed in the red. Stocks in the Health Care, Financials and Consumer Services industries lagged, each falling by more than 1.75% on the session.
Investors also reacted to a volatile day of trading in energy markets after a host of nations joined Saudi Arabia in cutting diplomatic ties with Iran. The escalation of Islamic sectarian discord in the Middle East weighs heavily on crude prices, which is sensitive to heightened geopolitical tension in the region.
The top performer on the Dow was Wal-Mart Stores Inc (N:WMT), which gained 0.17 or 0.28% to close at 61.47. Wal-Mart (N:WMT) just above Apple Inc (O:AAPL), which added 0.05 or 0.05% to 105.31. In 2015, the world's largest company lost 4% on the year, slumping more than 20% from the 52-week high it set in July. The worst performer was DD, which fell 3.50 or 5.26% to 63.10, as the multinational conglomerate began the first round of a massive layoff program that could result in a loss of 1,700 positions over the next few weeks.
The biggest gainer on the NASDAQ was Dollar Tree Inc (O:DLTR), which inched up by 1.59 or 2.06% to 78.81, after the discount variety store received an upgrade to a "buy" by analysts at Vetr.Inc. The worst performer was Beijing-based online direct sales company Jd.Com Inc Adr (O:JD), which fell 2.74 or 8.48% to 29.53. At one point, trading was halted on the Shanghai Composite Index after the 7% sell-off triggered its first-ever circuit breaker.
On the S&P 500, the top performer was Chesapeake Energy Corporation (N:CHK), which surged 0.45 or 10% to 4.95. Energy stocks dominated the S&P in Monday's session, as CONSOL Energy Inc (N:CNX), Southwestern Energy Company (N:SWN), Range Resources Corporation (N:RRC) and Ensco all closed up by more than 3%. The worst performer was Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc (N:CMG), which fell 31.04 or 6.47% to 448.81 after five additional e-coli cases surfaced in the Midwest, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Shares in the Mexican fast-food chain are down by approximately 25% since mid-November after a comprehensive e-coli strain surfaced in Chipotle restaurants on the West Coast.
On the New York Stock Exchange, declining issues outnumbered advancing ones by a 2,118 to 967 margin.