Stock market shows massive losses

The stock market declined sharply Wednesday afternoon, with all three major indexes now experiencing dips that put them into negative territory for the year.

As of 2:45 p.m., the Standard & Poor’s 500 was down 2.3 percent, or 44 points, to 1,834. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 2.7 percent to 16,025 — a fall of 290 points. The Nasdaq composite saw a 1.7 percent fall to 4,154 — a 73 point drop.

Amid fears of a global economic slowdown, traders have been selling off risky assets in favor of investments usually seen as safer, like U.S. government bonds.