U.S. stocks fell sharply Wednesday, The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1,338, or 6.3 percent, to 19,898.92. The broader Standard & Poor's 500 index fell 131.09, or 5.2 percent, to 2,398.10. The technology-heavy Nasdaq composite index fell 344.94, or 4.7 percent, to 6,989.84.