A burst of solid business news in the US was supposed to calm markets, which have been in retreat in recent weeks.
But strong sales at artificial intelligence (AI) giant Nvidia and the world's largest retailer Walmart, better-than-expected hiring in September, and even a pickup in home sales have so far done little to quell investor worries.
The three major stock indexes in the US resumed their slide on Thursday, reversing course after an early morning rally.
The S&P 500 fell 1.6%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 0.8%, while the Nasdaq ended the day down more than 2%. Shares in Nvidia, which had surged in Thursday morning trading, fell more than 3%.
"The reaction is noteworthy, because what should have happened, didn't happen," said James Stanley, a senior analyst at StoneX, referring to the sudden fade in the broader market rally on Thursday.
