Wall Street closed lower as worries rise about the strength of the global economy and inflation.
The S&P 500 fell 0.6 percent Wednesday. The Nasdaq composite fell a similar amount, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.4 percent. Markets in Asia fell even more following discouraging data on manufacturing in China.
In the United States, economic data were mixed. A strong report on the job market raised expectations for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates again in two weeks. But a later speech by a Fed official calmed those worries. The S&P 500 ended May with a slight gain.
On Wednesday:
The S&P 500 fell 25.69 points, or 0.6 percent, to 4,179.83.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 134.51 points, or 0.4 percent, to 32,908.27.
The Nasdaq composite fell 82.14 points, or 0.6 percent to 12,935.29.
The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 17.64 points, or 1 percent, to 1,749.65.
For the week:
The S&P 500 is down 25.62 points, or 0.6 percent.
The Dow is down 185.07 points, or 0.6 percent.
The Nasdaq is down 40.40 points, or 0.3 percent.
The Russell 2000 is down 23.37 points, or 1.3 percent.
For the year:
The S&P 500 is up 340.33 points, or 8.9 percent.
The Dow is down 238.98 points, or 0.7 percent.
The Nasdaq is up 2,468.80 points, or 23.6 percent.
The Russell 2000 is down 11.60 points, or 0.7 percent.
