US equities fall on Chinese sell-off

New York - Wall Street stocks opened a busy week of earnings and economic reports sharply lower on Monday following a plunge in Chinese equity markets.

About seven minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 17 420.68, down 147.85 points (0.84%).

The broad-based S&P 500 fell 14.18 (0.68%) to 2 065.44, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 53.10 (1.04%) to 5 035.16.

US and European equity markets retreated after the Shanghai exchange plummeted 8.48% on fears the Chinese government will pull back on support measures that have stabilised the market the last three weeks.

The US calendar includes a Federal Reserve policy meeting and earnings reports from Facebook, Pfizer and Procter & Gamble.