Stocks take a hit at the open

U.S. markets fall as economic concerns reach crescendo in the face of $99 oil and dollar weakness.

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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Concern about the economy plagued U.S. stocks at Wednesday's open, with the major indicators significantly lower.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 0.6 percent. The Nasdaq composite index fell 1 percent. The Standard & Poor's 500 index was 0.6 percent lower.

In global trade, Asian markets sold off, with Japan's Nikkei falling over 2.5 percent and Hong Kong's blue chip index tumbling more than 4 percent. European stocks tumbled in the early going.

Among stocks to watch, farm and construction equipment maker Deere (Charts, Fortune 500) posted a 52 percent jump in quarterly profit on strong farm and commercial equipment sales.

Freddie Mac (Charts, Fortune 500),the government-sponsored enterprise designed to help provide financing to the mortgage market, could move again Wednesday after reporting a $2 billion writedown. Freddie shares lost over 25 percent Tuesday.

High-end grocer Whole Foods (Charts, Fortune 500) reported lower quarterly profits late Tuesday on costs related to the purchase of rival Wild Oats.

And Borders Group (Charts), the nation's second largest bookseller, reported another quarterly loss on charges related to the sale of its United Kingdom and Ireland subsidiaries. To top of page

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.