Canada's main stock index was down more than 240 points by the end of Wednesday after a late-afternoon slump, while U.S. markets took a similar tumble, after another outsized rate hike by the Federal Reserve. 

The S&P/TSX Composite Index was down 240.70 points, or 1.23 per cent, at 19,277.01.

In New York, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 505.44 points at 32,147.76. The S&P 500 Index was down 96.41 points at 3,759.69, while the Nasdaq Composite was down 366.05 points at 10,524.80.

The Canadian dollar traded for 73.37 cents U.S., compared with 73.45 cents U.S. on Tuesday.

The December crude contract was up US$1.63 at US$90.00 per barrel and the December natural gas contract was up 55 cents at US$6.27 per mmBTU.

The December gold contract was up 30 cents at US$1,650.00 an ounce and the December copper contract was down less than half a penny at US$3.47 a pound.