Wall St tumbles as factory activity hits 10-year low

stocks USs

NEW YORK: The S&P 500 and Dow suffered their worst tumbles in over a month on Tuesday after data showed U.S. factory activity shrank in September to its weakest in over a decade, ratcheting up fears that the U.S.-China trade war is hobbling the world's largest economy.

Investors moved to the safety of U.S. Treasuries after the ISM report showed its manufacturing activity index at 47.8, falling further from August's sharp contraction and below economists' expectations of 50.1. A reading below 50 indicates contraction.