U.S. stock markets fell sharply Monday, with two major indexes racking up their worst day of trading in almost two years.

The turmoil continued a sudden global panic that began overnight Sunday, cratering the value of stocks, currencies, even cryptocurrencies — and raising the prospect that a broader downturn could be on the horizon, especially after a weak snapshot of the U.S. job market last week. The jobs report made the American economy look as though it could be on rockier footing than previously thought and sparked bets that the Federal Reserve might have to cut interest rates sooner and more aggressively.

Get a curated selection of 10 of our best stories in your inbox every weekend.
But economists say the stock slide is not a surefire sign that a recession is ahead. The current sell-off, they say, is the result of investors having to untangle complicated, heavily leveraged trades that have artificially boosted stock values.

свернуть