NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks fell on Thursday as a sharp decline in oil prices sent the energy sector tumbling and disappointing profit outlooks from large companies such as Merck raised the specter of a worsening economy.
* Chevron
* Investors were also digesting the latest pitch to Congress from automakers in Washington for a rescue package.
* According to the latest available figures, the Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 215.45 points, or 2.51 percent, at 8,376.24. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 25.50 points, or 2.93 percent, at 845.24. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> sank 46.82 points, or 3.14 percent, at 1,445.56
(Reporting by Deepa Seetharaman; Editing by Kenneth Barry)
