Jet downing, weak earnings rattle stock market

FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2007 file photo, the flags on the facade of the New York Stock Exchange are a backdrop for a Wall Street street sign. European stocks were lower after most Asian markets abandoned modest gains Thursday July 17, 2014 ahead of U.S. economic data and corporate earnings reports. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file) FILE - In this Aug. 16, 2007 file photo, the flags on the facade of the New York Stock Exchange are a backdrop for a Wall Street street sign. European stocks were lower after most Asian markets abandoned modest gains Thursday July 17, 2014 ahead of U.S. economic data and corporate earnings reports. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, file)

By Associated Press July 17, 2014 1 min read

Stocks are closing sharply lower as traders worried about an escalation of tensions between Russia and the West following the downing of a passenger plane in eastern Ukraine.

Traders were also unsettled by poor corporate earnings and a weak indicator for the housing market.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 161 points, or 0.9 percent, to close at 16,976 Thursday.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 23 points, or 1.2 percent, to 1,958. The Nasdaq lost 62 points, or 1.4 percent, to 4,363.

SanDisk, AutoNation and Mattel were among the biggest decliners after reporting results that disappointed investors.