NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks closed sharply lower on Friday, ending their worst week since August, as plunging crude oil prices compounded investor nervousness ahead of the first U.S. interest rate hike in nearly a decade, expected Dec. 16.
Based on the latest available data, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 310.74 points, or 1.77 percent, to 17,264.01, the S&P 500 <.SPX> lost 39.92 points, or 1.95 percent, to 2,012.31 and the Nasdaq Composite <.IXIC> dropped 111.71 points, or 2.21 percent, to 4,933.47.
(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by James Dalgleish)
