MarketWatch
Dow plummets nearly 700 points as COVID variant sparks global selloff
U.S. stocks opened sharply lower Friday, joining a global equity selloff following the discovery in South Africa of a variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 694.53 points, or 1.9%, at 35,109.85 after falling more than 800 points in early action, while the S&P 500 dropped 62.31 points, or 1.3%, to 4,639.15. The Nasdaq Composite shed 137.84 points, or 0.9%, to 15,707.39. Analysts noted it remains unclear to what degree the new variant may be more