How major US stock indexes fared Tuesday

Stocks in the U.S. and Europe sank Tuesday following political turmoil in Italy, which stoked fears of instability in the euro bloc.

On Tuesday:

The S&P 500 index shed 31.47 points, or 1.2 per cent, to 2,689.86.

The Dow Jones industrial average skidded 391.64 points, or 1.6 per cent, to 24,361.45.

The Nasdaq composite dropped 37.26 points, or 0.5 per cent, to 7,396.59.

The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks dipped 3.28 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 1,623.65.

For the year:

The S&P 500 is up 16.25 points, or 0.6 per cent.

The Dow is down 357.77 points, or 1.4 per cent.

The Nasdaq is up 493.20 points, or 7.1 per cent.

The Russell 2000 is up 88.14 points, or 5.7 per cent.