Dow -279.71 at 9036.84, Nasdaq -39.18 at 1742.85, S&P -35.71 at 963.78
[BRIEFING.COM] The major indices trade near recently session lows. Energy stocks (-9.2%) are taking a beating due to economic concerns and lower commodity prices.
Crude oil futures are down 4.0% to $75.50 per barrel, gasoline futures are down 4.5% to $1.79 per gallon and natural gas prices are down 2.9%.
Reported at 10:00 AM ET, business inventories in August rose by 0.3%, which was slightly less then the expect growth of 0.5%. Inventory levels rose by 0.6% in manufacturing, 0.8% in wholesalers and declined 0.6% in retail. Inventories are up 6.4% year-over-year. The data are adjusted for seasonal variations, but not for price changes.