US stocks plunge in opening trade

NEW YORK—US stocks plummeted Tuesday in opening trade as investors returned from a long holiday weekend worried about European debt problems and the health of the US economy.

Extending Friday’s sharp losses, the Dow Jones Industrial Average slumped 224.63 points (2 percent) to 11,015.63 in the first minute of trade. The S&P 500-stock index, a broader measure of the markets, slid 24.49 points (2.09 percent) to 1,149.48, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite tumbled 59.64 points (2.40 percent) to 2,420.69.