The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 113.57 points (1.43 per cent) to 7,825.96 at the opening bell.

The tech-driven Nasdaq was down 20.16 points (1.32 per cent) to 1,510.34 while the broad-market Standard & Poor's 500 index shed 11.84 points (1.42 per cent) to 821.90.

The market opened after government data showed US jobless claims remained at a high level in the past week, with 620,000 new filings, in a sign of high stress on the economy and labour market.

But US retail sales, a key engine of the economy, rebounded unexpectedly in January, rising 1.0 per cent, after six consecutive months of decline. -- AFP