U.S. stocks close lower

U.S. stocks ended lower on Wednesday.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 341.41 points, or 0.66 percent, to 51,179.87. The S&P 500 sank 17.16 points, or 0.22 percent, to 7,801.77. The Nasdaq Composite Index shed 61.2 points, or 0.22 percent, to 27,538.69.

Seven of the 11 primary S&P 500 sectors ended in the red, with industrials and materials leading the laggards by losing 2.14 percent and 1.53 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, health and consumer discretionary led the gainers by going up 1.06 percent and 0.15 percent, respectively.

U.S. stocks close lower

European stock markets closed lower on Wednesday.

The United Kingdom's FTSE 100 index edged slightly lower by 0.79 percent to close at 10,458.50 points.

France's CAC 40 index shed 1.22 percent to finish at 7,769.21 points.

Germany's DAX index dropped 1.35 percent to end the session at 25,104.36 points.

European stocks fall