By Xinhua
New York : Wall Street tumbled Thursday as news of the assassination of former Pakistani prime minister Benazir Bhutto and weak economic data unsettled the markets.
The markets dropped on the fact that Bhutto was assassinated in Rawalpindi, which triggered investors to worry about the safety in the region.
The durable goods data disappointed investors Thursday. The US Commerce Department said orders for durable goods nosed up just 0.1 percent in November, a sharp decline from expected rise of 2.2 percent. The tiny moving-up indicated that the economy is slowing.
The Dow Jones industrial average fell 138.03 to 13,413.66 points. Broader stock indicators also fell. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 13.17 to 1,484.49 points, and Nasdaq composite index fell 27.27 to 2,697.14 points.