U.S. Stocks Extend Sell-Off As Yields Spike In Reaction To Powell Comments WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Stocks saw substantial volatility during trading on Thursday, with a sell-off seen in early afternoon trading resulting in a sharply lower close for the markets. With the steep drop on the day, the major averages extended the substantial move to the downside seen over the two previous sessions. The Dow and the S&P 500 slumped to their lowest closing levels in a month, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq plunged to a two-month closing low. The major averages all posted steep losses on the day, although the Nasdaq underperformed its counterparts. The Nasdaq plummeted 274.28 points or 2.1 percent to 12,723.47, while the Dow tumbled 345.95 points or 1.1 percent to 30,924.14 and the S&P 500 dove 51.25 points or 1.3 percent to 3,768.47.