U.S. stocks hit session lows on Wednesday and the Dow industrials briefly fell 1 percent after disappointing new home sales data sparked worries about the economic recovery.

Shares in the materials sectors were among the worst hit as the U.S. dollar strengthened against a basket of currencies <.DXY> and sent commodity prices lower.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> dropped 85.48 points, or 0.86 percent, to 9,796.69. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> fell 16.20 points, or 1.52 percent, to 1,047.21. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> lost 47.19 points, or 2.23 percent, to 2,068.90.

(Reporting by Rodrigo Campos; Editing by Kenneth Barry)