NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks opened lower on Friday, putting equities on track for their fifth straight monthly decline, as China's manufacturing shrank and kept fears of a global economic slowdown in the forefront.
The S&P 500 index has dropped more than 13 percent this quarter and 5.8 percent in September, putting the benchmark index on pace for its worst quarterly performance since 2008 as the euro zone debt crisis and weakening economic data fuel concerns economies around the globe are slowing.
As of Thursday's close, the Wilshire 5000 index is down 13.39 percent for the quarter, representing losses of about $2.2 trillion.
via news.yahoo.com
