US stocks fell for a third day on Wednesday as weaker-than-expected economic data and more losses in top-performing commodity sectors cast doubt on how much life a market rally had left. The S&P energy sector, which was up 34 percent since September, dropped 1.2 percent on Wednesday, while materials fell 1.3 percent and industrials lost 1.1 percent.
At the same time, the VIX volatility index, Wall Street's fear gauge, is showing signs of strength. It was up 1.8 percent at 17 on Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average was down 66.26 points, or 0.52 percent, at 12,741.25. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 7.04 points, or 0.52 percent, at 1,349.58. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 5.15 points, or 0.18 percent, at 2,836.47. It was a third day of losses for the S&P 500 and Nasdaq, though the S&P 500 is up 29 percent since the start of September.
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