Stock market close, July 31, 2014: U.S. markets plummeted Thursday in a broad decline, with the Dow Jones shedding 317 points in a broad sell-off.
Meanwhile, the S&P 500 fell below its 50-day moving average, erasing all of July's gains as concerns in global markets hammered stocks. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index (VIX) jumped more than 26% to an intraday high of 16.98, the highest level since April.