U.S. stocks fell Thursday, with Bank of America, General Electric and Intel among the decliners, as disappointing data on the U.S. housing and job markets sparked concerns over the pace of the economic recovery.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 41.49 points, or 0.42%, to 9732.53, its lowest close since Oct. 30, 2009.

Thursday marked the measure's sixth straight daily drop; it hasn't had such a long losing streak since January. Bank of America was the Dow's worst performer Thursday, with a drop of 35 cents, or 2.4%, to 14.02.

General Electric was also weak, down 30 cents, or 2.1%, to 14.12, and Intel (Nasdaq) dropped 20 cents, or 1%, to 19.25. The Nasdaq Composite fell 7.88, or 0.37%, to 2101.36, its lowest close since Nov. 4, 2009. The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped 3.34, or 0.32%, to 1027.37, the measure's lowest close since Oct. 2, 2009.

The declines came as data showed U.S. pending-home sales plunged 30% in May, the first month after the homebuyer tax credit expired. In addition, the Institute for Supply Management's June manufacturing index dropped more than expected, and weekly jobless claims unexpectedly rose.

European shares ended with big losses on the first day of the third quarter, with softer data from China and the U.S. underlining doubts about the global economic recovery.

The Stoxx Europe 600 index dropped 2.5% to close at 237.30. Automakers were among the losers, with luxury car maker BMW falling 4.7% and rival Daimler losing 3.6%. Renault shares fell 4% and Peugeot shares tumbled 4.8%.

French new car registrations fell 1.2% in June. Of the major European regional benchmarks, the U.K. FTSE 100 index dropped 2.3% to close at 4,805.75, the German DAX index lost 1.8% to settle at 5,857.43 and the French CAC-40 index ended 3% lower at 3,339.90.

Economic concerns continued to lead Asian stock markets lower Thursday, as weaker than expected manufacturing data out of China hurt sentiment. The Nikkei Stock Average fell 2.0% to end at 9,191.60, its lowest closing level since late November.

China's Shanghai Composite fell 1.0%, South Korea's Kospi gave up 0.7%, and Taiwan's Taiex lost 1.0% Hong Kong and Thai stock markets were closed for holidays.

China's official PMI for June fell to 52.1 from 53.9 in May, reinforcing the view that the Chinese economy might be slowing.

A separate survey by HSBC in association with Markit reported that the mainland's PMI fell to 50.4 from 52.7 over the same period, though it stayed above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction.

Chinese shares ended lower, led by manufacturing companies. Founder Technology Group fell 3.6% and Suning Appliance lost 7.2%.

Base metals on the London Metal Exchange ended sharply lower Thursday as a raft of disappointing economic reports painted a dispirited picture for the global economy.

Heavy losses in U.S. equities and European equities added to the gloom, although the euro's rally against the dollar lent some support to metals in dollar terms. The selloff left several of the metals near two week lows and burdened with bearish technical outlooks. Copper ended 2.8% lower and fell to its lowest since June 18.

Nickel suffered the biggest losses, closing 3.8% lower. Crude oil futures fell 3.5% Thursday, falling to three week lows on fears that the economic recovery was stalling, slashing expectations for increased oil demand.

Light, sweet crude for August delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange settled down $2.68 at $72.95 a barrel, the lowest price since June 8. Prices, which dropped for a fourth straight day, traded in a range of $75.40 to $72.05. The drop was the biggest in a single day decline since June 4.

Disappointing U.S. reports on manufacturing, unemployment, home sales and construction spending hit oil futures Thursday, adding pressure to a market already skittish over an apparent slowdown in growth in China, the second largest consumer of oil after the U.S.

Gold futures lost nearly $40 to close at their lowest point in more than a month amid poor economic data as investors preferred the perceived safety of U.S. Treasurys.

A successful Spanish debt auction and talk of deflation dulled the metal's allure as both a refuge and hedge against rising prices. Investors were also selling gold to help cover increased margin requirements as equities declined.

The most actively traded gold contract, for August delivery, fell $39.20, or 3.1%, to settle at $1,206.70 an ounce on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange.

That was its lowest close since May 25 and marked its biggest dollar loss since Feb. 4, when the contract fell $49.20. In thinner after hours electronic trading, the contract dipped to $1,198.40. It hadn't been below the $1,200 mark since June 4.