Wall Street stocks tumble after US kills Iran general

Wall Street stocks opened sharply lower Friday after a US strike killed a top Iranian commander, prompting threats of reprisal by Tehran.

About two minutes into trading, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 28,616.27, down 0.9 per cent.

The broad-based S&P 500 also shed 0.9 per cent to 3,229.22, while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 1.0 per cent to 8,999.84.

Major indices had closed at records on Thursday, but the US attack on Qasem Soleimani -- and Iran's threat to avenge his death -- shook the market out of a state of contentment that has produced numerous records in recent weeks.