US and European stocks fell as American retail sales unexpectedly decreased in April, the Bank of England said the U.K. economy faces a slow recovery and companies from ING Groep NV to Applied Materials Inc. posted losses. Treasuries rose, while copper tumbled for a fifth day.

Walt Disney Co., Fortune Brands Inc. and Best Buy Co. slid after the government said purchases at U.S. stores dropped 0.4 percent last month. ING, the largest Dutch financial-services company, retreated 10 percent on a third-straight quarterly loss. A measure of U.S. banks declined 6.5 percent. Applied Materials, a maker of chip-production machines, sank 4.3 percent amid slower demand for computer displays and solar panels.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 Index slumped for a third day, its longest streak of declines since the beginning of March. The gauge lost 2.7 percent to 883.92 at 4:05 p.m. in New York. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 184.22 points, or 2.2 percent, to 8,284.89. Sixteen stocks fell for each rising on the New York Stock Exchange, the broadest sell-off in three weeks.

(Bloomberg.com)