The markets tumbled to close sharply lower with the Dow collapsing 254 points to 15,660 as global economic concerns continued to weigh on investors. Nasdaq fell 16 points to 4,266.
On the upside
Reuters reported that Kroger (NYSE: KR) was exploring a possible bid for The Fresh Market (Nasdaq: TFM).
World Fuel Services (NYSE: INT) will purchase aviation fueling operations at 83 airports around the world from ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) affiliates.
j2 Global (Nasdaq: JCOM) reported higher fourth quarter earnings and revenue that surpassed analyst expectations.
On the downside
General Cable (NYSE: BGC) reported a loss for the fourth quarter as revenue fell.
Falling crude oil prices weighed down shares of Ultra Petroleum (NYSE: UPL).
Peabody Energy (NYSE: BTU) reported a wider than expected loss for the fourth quarter.
In the broad market, declining issues outpaced advancers by a margin of more than 4 to 1 on the NYSE and by nearly 7 to 3 on Nasdaq. The broader S&P 500 collapsed 22 points to 1,829. Bitcoin slipped $2 to $379.
