NEW YORK, Dhu-AlQa'dah 9, 1436, Aug 24, 2015, SPA -- U.S. stocks plunged in early trading Monday following a major drop in Chinese stocks. China’s main index sank 8.5 percent amid fears over the health of the world’s second-largest economy. The Shanghai index suffered its biggest percentage decline since February 2007, with many China-listed companies hitting their 10 percent downside limits. The benchmark has lost all of its gains for 2015, though it is still more than 40 percent above its level a year ago. The dollar gained ground against other major currencies. Light sweet crude oil for October delivery dropped $2.14 to $38.29 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while gold futures added $2.30 to $1,162.10 an ounce. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 480.84, or 2.92 percent, to 15,978.91. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 59.01, or 3.01 percent, to 1,911.58. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index declined 132.69, or 2.74 percent, to 4,577.25. --SPA 17:46 LOCAL TIME 14:46 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w