NEW YORK (AP) -- U.S. stocks slumped to a third straight loss Wednesday as investors fret over poor economic news.<br />
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Airline stocks sank over worries that the first diagnosis of Ebola in the U.S. would cause people to curtail their travel plans. American Airlines and Delta each fell 3 percent.<br />
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The Dow Jones industrial average lost 238 points, or 1.4 percent, to close at 16,804.<br />
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The Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 26 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,946. The Nasdaq composite fell 71 points, or 1.6 percent, to 4,422.<br />
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Bonds and utility stocks rose as investors shifted money into less risky assets.<br />
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Utility stocks were the only sector in the S&P 500 index to rise. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 2.39 percent and prices for the notes rose.
