NEW YORK — A recurrence of investors' anxiety about the economy gave Wall Street its biggest loss in five weeks.

The major indexes fell 1 percent yesterday as investors feared that the market's steep gains in the past month could unravel if the economy doesn't show more signs of strengthening.

Warnings about the health of banks and uneasiness ahead of the Federal Reserve's economic statement today led investors to dump financial stocks and wade into defensive areas such as consumer staples companies and government debt.