Toky

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

The ASX 200 gave up 171 points, almost 4 per cent, to 4,165 as investors took their lead from the US market rather than an upbeat assessment by Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner.

New York - Wall Street delivered its worst-ever post- election session Wednesday as major stock indices lost more than 5 per cent, one day after the US market's biggest-ever election day gains.

Tuesday trading saw gains of more than 3 per cent on Wall Street, even as voters were choosing Democrat Barack Obama over Republican John McCain for a four-year presidential term starting in January.

New York - Major US stock indices fell on opening Wednesday after the election of Democrat Barack Obama as the next president of the United States.

The blue-chip Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 1.4 per cent at 1508 GMT, while the broader Standard & Poor's 500 fell 1.19 per cent. The technology-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index dropped 1.23 per cent.

Obama celebrated a resounding victory over Republican John McCain Tuesday night after an election campaign that was dominated by concerns over the credit crisis and faltering US economy.