The collapse of shares on stock exchanges in the United States at the beginning of trading on August 16 occurred against the background of an increase in the number of people infected with coronavirus, as well as geopolitical problems in Afghanistan associated with the seizure of the country by the Taliban.

The S&P 500 Index dropped 0.31 percent. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.17 percent, while the Nasdaq lost 0.8 percent and then climbed 0.52 percent. The Russell 2000 Small Business Index fell 0.46 percent. Tesla shares fell more than three percent after the US government announced it was conducting an official investigation into the company’s automated driving features following collisions with parked cars.