The American stock market fell by more than 2.5% at the opening on Wednesday. Indices are declining amid a sell-off in stocks around the world and falling oil prices

US stock indices showed a decline at the opening of trading amid a sell-off in stocks around the world, falling oil prices and general skepticism about the prospects for the global economy, reports Bloomberg .

The US Standard & Poor 500 index fell 2.7% to 1,830.27, hitting a record low since April 2014. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 2.5% to 15,609.81, its lowest level in 21 months. The Nasdaq Composite index fell 3%.

“There are a lot of reasons to sell [stocks],” told Bloomberg the chief executive of Blackstone Group LP . “We have economic factors such as the slowdown in the US economy, which has been pretty consistent. We have oil that is falling in price very quickly. We have China, whose problems may have been exaggerated,” he said.

“When you add all these factors together, you get an unattractive brew along with concerns about the Federal Reserve potentially raising its key rate and further slowing the economy,” he added.

“The market is focused on concerns around China, oil prices and the strengthening dollar,” the agency quotes the chief equity strategist of New York-based Federated Investors Inc. as saying. Phil Orlando.

Stock trading on Asian markets opened lower on Wednesday . A decrease of more than 2% was recorded in Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong. The Chinese stock market was also in the red.

Following the Asian market, European stock indices also declined .

The main Russian indices also showed a decline on Wednesday. According to the results of trading on the Moscow Exchange, the MICEX index fell by 0.92%, to 1630.39 points, the RTS index fell by 4.83%, to 628.41 points.

Brent oil, as of 20:00 Moscow time, is trading at $27.5 per barrel, trading data shows.

American indices fell sharply following the markets of Europe and Asia