Stocks fall as volatility hits Wall Street; oil drops

Stocks fell in morning trading Wednesday as Wall Street undergoes a bout of volatility, driven in part by big swings in technology companies.

The S&P 500 fell 0.5% as of 10:30 a.m. Eastern after falling 1% earlier. The benchmark index has alternated between gains and losses of more than 1% the previous four days.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 210 points, or 0.6%, to 34,104 and the Nasdaq fell 0.2%.

A measure of small-company stocks that helps gauge confidence in economic growth fell more than the major indexes. The Russell 2000 fell 1.6%.

Technology stocks have been swinging between gains and losses as investors reassess whether stocks have grown too expensive, particularly high-priced technology companies. Cisco Systems fell 1.9% and Apple fell 0.7%.