Stocks turned lower on Monday despite data showing business activity in the U.S. Midwest picked up at a faster pace than expected in August.

Wall Street fell at the open as Chinese equities <.SSEC> dropped sharply and commodities fell on concerns that asset prices had run ahead of the economic reality.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 97.12 points, or 1.02 percent, to 9,447.08. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 13.52 points, or 1.31 percent, to 1,015.41. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 29.73 points, or 1.47 percent, to 1,999.04.

(Editing by Padraic Cassidy)