Charting the Markets: Volatility Persists

Markets continue their wild swings as investors consider the health of the world's two biggest economies. China set the tone on Tuesday with its official manufacturing gauge slumping to a three-year low. A U.S. factory report expanded at the slowest pace since May 2013, contributing to the third-biggest drop in the S&P 500 Index this year. Asian stocks, as measured by the MSCI Asia Pacific Index, have swung between a gain of 0.4 percent and a loss of 1.1 percent.

Chinese stocks sank as much as 4.7 percent at the open, before rebounding to a 0.9 percent gain. It closed the session 0.2 percent lower. Traders speculate state-backed funds have been propping up the market before tomorrow's major military parade. Wednesday's decline comes after the Shanghai Composite Index had its biggest two-month loss since 2008 as the nation's economic slowdown persists. Chinese markets are closed for the rest of the week for holidays commemorating the end of World War II.