NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- U.S. stocks were headed for a major sell-off at the start of trading Tuesday, following an 11% drop in Japan's leading index in the wake of a nuclear crisis caused by last week's earthquake.
Dow Jones industrial (INDU) average futures were down 2.2%, which would translate to a 279-point drop in the index at the open. S&P 500 (SPX) futures were off 2.7% and Nasdaq (COMP) futures were down 2.8%. Futures measure current index values against perceived future performance.
