The major U.S. stock indexes plunged Thursday on investor worries about weak economic growth.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 3.5 percent to finish at 10,734. The S&P 500 index fell 3.2 percent to end at 1,130 while the NASDAQ slid 3.3 percent to close at 2,456.

European stock prices also tumbled sharply.

London's Financial Times index ended down 4.7 percent to close at 5,042. The CAC-40 in Paris dropped 5.3 percent to finish at 2,782. The DAX index in Frankfurt dipped 5 percent to end at 5,164.

In Asia, Tokyo's Nikkei index index lost 2.1 percent (181 points)) to finish at 8,560. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index plunged 4.9 percent to finish the day's trading at 17,912.

The price of gold fell more than $45 to trade at $1,736.59 an ounce.

The dollar fell against the yen but gained against the euro.