Tuesday

The energy sector led an afternoon drop in stocks that left the market sharply lower at the close as traders worried about legal wrangling between the oil industry and Washington over post-spill drilling restrictions. Analysts said the late-day market selloff reflected uncertainty over possible legal skirmishes to come. Traders said today's slide was also exacerbated by the lack of long-term conviction among investors that has been the hallmark of the market the last few weeks, often contributing to late-day swings. Anxiety remained high over the health of the European banks causing the euro to decline against the dollar. DJIA -148.89 Nasdaq -27.29 S&P 500 -17.89.