Wall Street Trembles as U.S. Rating Downgrade Shakes Confidence

Wall Street's major indexes took a hit at the opening on Monday following Moody's downgrade of the U.S. sovereign rating. This decision seemingly rattled investor confidence, as reflected in the heightened focus on America's growing national debt.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average saw a decline of 111.9 points, registering a 0.26% drop right at the opening, positioning itself at 42,542.81.

Similarly, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite experienced substantial decreases, with the S&P 500 dropping 55.5 points, or 0.93%, to 5,902.88​, and the Nasdaq Composite nosediving 273.7 points, or 1.42%, landing at 18,937.417 as trading commenced.

(With inputs from agencies.)