The Dow dives more than 150 points on Dubai's debt crisis

Updated

U.S. stocks followed the rest of the world lower in a short Friday session after the state investment company of Dubai shocked global debt and equity markets on Thursday by asking for more time to make a loan payment, essentially admitting that it's currently insolvent.

As banks across Europe, the U.S. and the Gulf region scrambled to assess their exposure to the Dubai debt crisis, money whooshed out of stocks in a global flight to safety that pushed up of the value of the U.S. dollar and U.S. Treasurys. The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average ($INDU) lost 154.5, or 1.48%, to close at 10,309.9, while the broader S&P 500 ($INX) retreated 19.1, or 1.72%, to finish at 1091.5. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite ($COMPX) shed 37.6, or 1.73%, to close at 2138.4.

U.S. markets were closed on Thursday for the Thanksgiving holiday and, as usual, experienced low volume Friday before an early 1 p.m. Eastern close, which likely helped dampen the effects of Thursday's global sell-off.

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