Stocks Ended Sharply Lower on Ukraine Fears

U.S. stocks finished sharply lower on Monday as investors worried about increased tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 153.68 points, or 0.9%, at 16,168.03. The S&P 500 was off 13.72 points, or 0.74%, lower at 1,845.73. The Nasdaq Composite lost 30.82
points, or 0.72%, at 4,277.30.

Rising tensions in Ukraine shook global corporate giants–from auto makers and energy producers to brewers and dairy companies–as the standoff threatened sanctions and clouded sales forecasts for companies exposed to Russia’s vast market.

Manufacturing expanded at a faster pace than projected in February, showing the U.S. economy is making headway in emerging from the harsh winter weather that has slowed growth in early 2014. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index rose to 53.2 from 51.3 in January.

U.S. auto sales in February were slightly brisker than expected as hefty incentives lured customers into dealerships late in the month despite cold and snowy weather. General Motors Co (GM.N) said it expected industry wide U.S. auto sales of 15.4 million vehicles in February on an annualized basis, matching a forecast of analysts polled by Reuters.