S&P 500 slides closer toward bear market territory as stocks extend losses

U.S. stocks fell deeper into the red Thursday after markets failed to claw back from their worst day since June 2020. The declines extend a recent sell-off in equities ignited by worries the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes to rein in persistent levels of inflation may spur an economic slowdown. The S&P 500 slid 0.6%…