Sydney - A big fall on Wall Street saw Australian stocks droop Thursday.

The ASX 200 gave up 186 points, or 4.2 per cent, to close at 4,149 as investors took their lead from the US market rather than an upbeat assessment of the global economy by Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner.

"I'm optimistic that things have improved and that we've seen the worst of these circumstances in the United States and in Europe, but I can't guarantee that," Tanner said as stocks slid. "We'll be doing everything we can to push back against these very powerful economic forces." (dpa)