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New | Wall Street, global stocks tumble on China as fear over growth grips market

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A Wall Street trader stares glumly at his screen as stocks were pounded on fears of weak growth in China as equities there stumbled on Thursday. Photo: AP

World stock markets tumbled and Brent oil prices remained under pressure on Thursday as another slump in the equity market of China, the world’s No. 2 economy, stoked concerns about sluggish global growth.

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Wall Street was also weighed down by a drop in finance stocks and fell for a third straight session as expectations cooled for a US interest rate hike in September, which also kept the dollar lower.

The declines in equities put the S&P 500 back into negative territory for the year. The Nasdaq suffered its biggest daily percentage drop since April 10, 2014.

Stocks in China tumbled again, with both the Shanghai and Shenzhen markets down more than 3 per cent.

Investors have been concerned a weak currency and slowing economy may spur further capital outflows.

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"The largest issue is certainly the fact that we don’t know how much the Chinese economy is slowing," said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at Wunderlich Securities in New York.

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