Asian Markets Mauled

Asian markets took a hammering today for the third day in a row as investors looked ahead and saw nothing but gloom, Marketwatch reports. The Nikkei index nosedived 9.6% to a five-year low. Indexes in Hong Kong, South Korea, China, Taiwan, and Australia all sank to multi-year lows. Analysts fear the basement still isn't in sight.

"I don't think the turmoil will be finished any time soon," one Japanese strategist said. "I think it will continue this quarter and the next. It's very difficult to see the bottom in the near-term." Many investors are now convinced that the US and Europe are already in recession and expect Asia's export-driven economies to suffer badly.
(More Asian markets stories.)