Seoul - Shares nosedived Friday on the Seoul stock exchange on persistent concerns over a global economic recession, following losses in the US market. South Korea's won soared against the dollar after highly volatile trading.

The benchmark Kospi index fell 53.42 points, or 4.1 per cent, to close at 1,241.47.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers 758 to 104.

The main index of the technology-heavy Kosdaq market fell 19.56 points to 350.28.

London - Shares on the London stock market plunged shar

Frankfurt - European shares plummeted Friday as panic selling spread from Asia and the United States on renewed fears about the economic fallout from the global credit crisis.

New Delhi - Indian equities markets tanked with the key Sensex index plunging nearly 10 per cent shortly after opening on Friday as foreign funds sold blue-chip stocks due to the global financial crisis and declining Indian rupee.

The 30-share Sensex of the Bombay Stock Exchange which lost nearly 1,730 points in the past five sessions, plunged by 1,088.60 points, or 9.8 per cent, soon after opening.

It later pared its losses and was down 7.4 per cent at 10,496.16 points - its lowest level in more than two years - at noon (0630 GMT).

Tokyo - Stocks in Tokyo ended Friday trading lower, with the benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average plunging below the psychologically significant mark of 9,000 points for the first time in more than five years.

The key Nikkei index plunged 881.06 points, or 9.62 per cent, to close at 8,276.43.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues also dropped 64.25 points, or 7.09 per cent, to 840.86.

For the week, Nikkei fell 24.33 per cent, and the Topix also declined almost 20 per cent.

Mumbai, Oct 10: The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) benchmark Sensex on Friday tumbled by nearly 10 per cent to 10,239.76 in opening trade.

The 30-share index, which had nearly lost 1,730 points in the past five straight sessions, plunged by 1,088.60 points, or 9.8 percent, little away from hitting the lower level circuit of 10 per cent, fixed by authorities.

The National Stock Exchange (NSE) index Nifty moved down by 314.70 points, or 9 per cent to 3,198.95 with all the heavy-weight stocks trading in negative zone.

Infosys Technologies fell by Rs 54.35 at Rs 1,200 despite better quarterly earnings.