US stocks resumed their punishing decline at the end of an erratic week as heightened fears of global recession pushed markets worldwide to fresh lows.
Before the open, trading in S&P, Nasdaq and Dow Jones futures were frozen as the sell-off reached panic levels and hit the maximums allowed.
That sparked fears that US stocks’ decline would be so dramatic that it could force the introduction of so-called circuit-breakers, in which the New York Stock Exchange halts trading.
