US stock markets fall to their lowest level in almost two years on growth concerns

Frankfurt The slide on US stock markets accelerated on Friday. Investors plagued by recession fears pulled the ripcord on risky investments and sent prices on the stock markets to their lowest levels in almost two years. Oil prices tumbled to an eight-month low, while the dollar, the world’s leading currency, soared to a 22-year high.

The Dow Jones index of standard values ​​fell 2.4 percent to 29,356 points – more than 20 percent below its record level in early January. For technically oriented investors, this is a bad omen and, with a corresponding closing level, marks the entry into a so-called bear market in which pessimists take the helm. The broader S&P 500 had already reached this point in June, losing 2.5 percent to 3662 points. The Nasdaq technology exchange index also fell sharply to 10,835 points.