Stocks slid on Wednesday as gloomy retail sales data revived recent concerns about the economy's struggle and caused a broad sell-off that accelerated late in the day.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 184.22 points, or 2.18 percent, to close unofficially at 8,284.89. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> lost 24.43 points, or 2.69 percent, to 883.92. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> dropped 51.73 points, or 3.01 percent, to 1,664.19.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Jan Paschal)

Retail