NEW YORK (AP) - Grim economic news from Europe and airstrikes in Syria rattled global stocks Tuesday.
Most of the damage was felt in European markets, which fell sharply after a closely watched gauge of business activity for the region fell to a nine-month low.
The disappointing news about Europe's economy also weighed down Wall Street. The Dow Jones industrial average opened lower and finished the day with its second triple-digit loss in a row.
Investors have been dealing with meager economic growth in Europe for months. The eurozone economy has been flat or barely growing since April, hobbled by the lingering effects of a debt crisis, uncertainty over a conflict in Ukraine and a lack of confidence among European consumers, businesses and banks.
In U.S., the Dow slid 116.81 points, or 0.7 percent, to 17,055.87. The S&P 500 index lost 11.52 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,982.77 and the Nasdaq composite fell 19 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,508.69.
The Dow's triple-digit fall on Tuesday follows a 107-point stumble from the day before. The blue-chip index hasn't posted two losses of 100 or more points since June.