Global Markets Plunge Amid Recession Fears

Asian and European stocks neared multi-year lows Friday as fears of a global recession mounted. Japan’s Nikkei 225 index dropped 9.6% while the FTSE 100 fell 5% after data revealed the U.K. economy contracted for the first time since 1992. (FT)

Below, October performance estimates for the major indexes in each of the following countries:

United States, down 26%
Canada, down 37%
Mexico, down 44%
Argentina, down 43%
Brazil, down 48%
Chile, down 30%
Peru, down 42%
Britain, down 31%
Germany, down 35%
France, down 31%
Switzerland, down 20%
Italy, down 30%
Ireland, down 35%
Iceland, down 83%
Netherlands, down 35%
Belgium, down 37%
Denmark, down 35%
Finland, down 26%
Greece, down 45%
Poland, down 46%
Czech Republic, down 45%
Russia, down 53%
Hungary, down 50%
Lithuania, down 37%
Turkey, down 50%
South Africa, down 42%
Israel, down 22%
Japan, down 23%
Hong Kong, down 30%
China, down 21%
Taiwan, down 23%
South Korea, down 46%
Australia, down 34%
New Zealand, down 25%
India, down 36%
Singapore, down 35%
Spain, down 33%

Sources: (FT, NYT, NYT)