Recession fears came back in full force on Wall Street today, following today's weaker-than-expected retail sales data on top of yesterday's Fed comments. The Dow finished the day 763 points lower for its worst day since Sept. 13, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 both suffered their worst single-day percentage drop since Nov. 2. Overseas, the European Central Bank (ECB) and Bank of England (BoE) hiked their lending rates by 50 basis points as well.

OIL, AND GOLD DROP LOWER

Oil prices fell for the first day in four, losing ground in the wake of a partial restart of the Keystone Pipeline following last week's shutdown. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude for January delivery lost $1.17, or 1.5%, to settle at $76.11 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. 

Gold prices dropped for the second day. February-dated gold fell $30.90, or 1.7%, to settle at $1,794.40 per ounce, its lowest finish in over a week. 

More By This Author:

Dow Sheds Over 670 Points On Reignited Recession Fears
Rate Hike, Hawkish Powell Sends Stocks Lower
Dow Up Triple Digits Ahead Of Fed Speech