asian stocks

Asian stocks markets had some of their steepest declines this month, amid fresh worries about the state of the U.S. and Chinese economies, and poor corporate news out of the United States.

Asian stock markets fell sharply Tuesday, following Wall Street lower as economic fears sapped enthusiasm over China's nearly $600 billion package to boost growth.

European markets also opened lower.

Asian stock markets had a respite Tuesday from the major sell-offs that have hammered equities in recent sessions, making up some lost ground during afternoon trading.

Asian stocks tumbled for a second day Thursday, with South Korea's market sinking more than 8 percent, as a barrage of downbeat company forecasts deepened fears of a global recession.

Asian stock markets started Wednesday in the red, ending three days of broad gains in the region, a reflection that the recovery in sentiment remains fragile.

Volatility and risk aversion in global stock markets continued in Asia, where sharp falls in the Nikkei 225 and other indexes all but wiped out an extraordinary rally.

Japan's stock market soared in early trading Tuesday, leading a second-day rally in Asian stocks after Wall Street staged a dramatic comeback from its worst week ever.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 10.4 percent right after the open, and other markets showed gains as well.

Asian stock markets opened sharply lower, following a dire session on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones industrial average slumped 508 points to close down 5.1 percent on Tuesday.

Asian stocks dropped by around 5 percent as investors doubted a scattered European response to the financial crisis and a $700 billion U.S. bank bailout could prevent a deeper slump.