A stronger dollar and more discouraging signs of a subdued economic recovery triggered a broad sell-off in stocks.

Major indexes tumbled more than 1.5 percent Thursday, including the Dow Jones industrials, which fell about 160 points.

Energy and material stocks showed the biggest losses as a jump in the dollar sent commodity prices tumbling. A stronger dollar makes commodities more expensive to foreign buyers, and companies that produce the commodities make less money from them.