Global slowdown fears hand Wall St worst day since 2011

NEW YORK — Growing concerns about a slowdown in China shook markets around the world on Friday, driving the US stock market to its biggest drop in nearly four years.

The rout started in Asia and quickly spread to Europe, battering major markets in Germany and France. In the US, the selling started early and never let up. Investors ditched beaten-down oil companies, as well as Netflix, Apple and other technology darlings. Oil plunged below $40 for the first time since the financial crisis, and government bonds rallied as investors raced into hiding spots.

“Investors are wondering if growth isn’t coming from the US or China, where is it going to come from?” said Tim Courtney, chief investment officer of Exencial Wealth Advisors. “This is about growth.”

By the time it was over, the Standard and Poor’s 500 index had lost 5.8 percent for the week, its worst weekly slump since 2011. That leaves the main benchmark for US investments 7.7 percent below its all-time high – within shooting range of what traders call a “correction,” a 10 percent drop from a peak.

Markets began falling last week after China announced a surprise devaluation of its currency, the yuan. Investors have interpreted China’s move as a sign that flagging growth in world’s second-largest economy could be worse than government reports suggest. On Friday, they got more bad news: A private survey showed another drop in manufacturing on the mainland.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index dropped 64.84 points, or 3.2 percent, to close at 1,970.89.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 530.94 points, or 3.1 percent, to 16,459.75. That’s 10 percent off its high, a correction.

The Nasdaq slid 171.45 points, or 3.5 percent, to 4,706.04.

That’s unwelcome news for anyone with a 401(k) invested in stocks, but they shouldn’t panic and try to time the market’s swings, said Quincy Krosby, market strategist for Prudential Financial.

“The difficult thing is it’s easy to get out of the market, but it’s difficult to get back in,” she said. “You can take the money out now, and then you sit and wonder `wait a minute is the market going to go up?’”

Traders have been worried about slowing growth in China and its potential impact on the US.

Those worries are valid, said Jeremy Zirin, head of investment strategy at UBS Wealth Management.

“But there doesn’t seem to be any signal that the weakness abroad is slipping into the US economy,” he said.