Mumbai, Feb. 21 -- The S&P 500 fell as much as 1.0% in early trading but ended the day more moderately lower, down 26.63 points (0.4%) at 19,962.36. The Nasdaq also slid 93.89 points (0.5%) to 19,962.36 after tumbling as much as 1.3%.

The early sell-off on Wall Street came amid a slump by shares of Walmart (WMT), with the retail giant and Dow component plunging by 6.5%. Labor Department released a report showing a modest increase by first-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits in the week ended February 15th. The Labor Department said initial jobless claims rose to 219,000, an increase of 5,000 from the previous week's revised level of 214,000. The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia also released a report showing Philadelphia-area ...