SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks cratered Thursday, sending the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +1.19% to its worst-point drop since December 2008, as fears about the global economy sparked a broad selloff that accelerated into the close. The Dow average fell 512.76 points, or 4.3%, to 11,383.68, its steepest percentage drop since February 2009. The S&P 500 SPX, +0.82% lost 60.27, or 4.8%, to 1,200.07, also its worst percentage drop since February 2009. The Nasdaq Composite COMP, +0.74% lost 136.68 points, or 5.1%, to 2,556.39 points. For the year, all three indexes are now negative.