New York - US stocks closed sharply lower on Monday amid concerns that the Italian election could lead to instability in the eurozone.
Equities had opened the session higher, but soon headed lower as the outcome of the Italian election became more uncertain.
At the closing bell, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 216.02 points to 13,784.55.
The broad-based S&P 500 dropped 27.72 to 1,487.88, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index sank 45.57 to 3,116.25.