A Wall Street road sign is pictured near the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) building on October 16, 2014 in New York. US stocks dropped sharply in early trade Thursday, following international markets downward as anxiety over global growth continued to prompt selling. About 30 minutes into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average stood at 16,062.34, down 79.40 points (0.49 percent). AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad        (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)