European stock markets also fell sharply

European stock markets closed the first trading day of the week with a sharp decline due to the selling wave in global markets.

At the close, the benchmark index Stoxx Europe 600 fell by 2.17 percent to 487.05 points.

In the UK, the FTSE 100 index fell by 2.04 percent to 8,008.23 points, in France the CAC 40 index fell by 1.42 percent to 7,148.99 points, in Germany the DAX 40 index lost 1.82 percent to 17,339 points and in Italy the FTSE MIB 30 index fell by 2.27 percent to 31,293.52 points.

The euro/dollar parity increased by 0.42 percent as of 19:17 GMT, trading at 1.095 levels.

Investors in Europe faced strong selling pressure after recession fears intensified in the United States.

Concerns that economic activity in the US could slow more sharply than expected led to increased selling pressure.

Asian markets saw a historic decline, with Japanese stock markets losing more than 10 percent. In South Korea, losses approached 10 percent.

In Europe, technology stocks in the Stoxx Europe 600 lost 0.92 percent, while energy sector stocks lost around 3 percent.

The investor confidence index in the Eurozone fell sharply in August. The Eurozone investor confidence index, which was minus 7.3 points in July, fell to minus 13.9 in August. The Eurozone Expectations Index, which was at 1.5 in July, fell to minus 8.8 in August.

The Eurozone economy stagnated in July as demand for goods and services declined. The composite PMI, which was 50.9 in June, fell to 50.2 in July. Thus, the composite PMI in the Eurozone fell to its lowest level in five months.

The growth of business activity in the services sector in Germany slowed in July. The services sector PMI, which was 53.1 in June, fell to 52.5 in July. Thus, the services sector PMI in Germany fell to its lowest level in the last 4 months.

The economic data released in global markets increased concerns about recession, causing a rapid decline in government bond interest rates in developed economies.