Wall Street slumps 2% at the open

US stock indices opened the first session of the week lower amid a selling spree that's hammering stocks worldwide as investors price in a multitude of global risks such as trade protectionism and US-China trade war, in addition to Brexit and the EU position towards the Italian budget.  

The final nail in the coffin was the tensions surrounding the sudden disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi Consulate in Turkey, in addition to US President Donald Trump's potential unexpected moves before the mid term elections.

Stock Performance 

As of 02:37 GMT, Standard and Poor's 500 fell 2.14%, or 58.08 points to 2,696.,80, while Dow Jones slumped 1.98%, or 500.73 points to 24,816.68. 

Tech-heavy NASDAQ swooned 2.41%, or 180.04 points to 7,287.98.