Stocks fell on Wednesday as rising yields on U.S. government debt fueled concern about higher borrowing costs for businesses and consumers, which could hurt the economic recovery.

* SanDisk-Samsung agreement cuts Nasdaq losses

* The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 173.47 points, or 2.05 percent, to close unofficially at 8,300.02. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 17.27 points, or 1.90 percent, to 893.06. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 19.35 points, or 1.11 percent, to 1,731.08.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos)