1st LD Writethru: U.S. stocks retreat after Fed minutes

U.S. stocks suffered big losses Thursday, as investors continued to digest the minutes from the U.S. Federal Reserve's latest meeting.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 174.09 points, or 0.98 percent, to 17,541.96. The S&P 500 lost 24.75 points, or 1.20 percent, to 2,041.91. The Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 72.35 points, or 1.47 percent, to 4,848.37.

According to the minutes of Fed's March 15-16 meeting released Wednesday afternoon, many central bank policy makers expressed concerns over a global economic slowdown in their latest meeting.

Analysts thought the minutes suggested a divided central bank, with many policymakers showing caution toward an interest rate hike in April, while others indicated that it was justified.

On the economic front, in the week ending April 2, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial jobless claims decreased 9,000 from the previous week's unrevised level to 267,000, below market consensus, the U.S. Labor Department reported Thursday.

The 4-week moving average was 266,750, an increase of 3,500 from the previous week's unrevised average of 263,250.

Some traders attributed much of Thursday's declines to profit-taking in an overall risk-off environment ahead of earnings season.

Overseas, European equities also ended lower Thursday. German benchmark DAX index at Frankfurt Stock Exchange dipped 0.98 percent, while British benchmark FTSE 100 Index fell 0.40 percent.

In Asia, Chinese Shanghai Composite Index tumbled 1.38 percent to 3,008.42 points Thursday, with investors awaiting a slew of Chinese economic data to be published next week. Enditem