NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks slumped at the open on Friday, with the benchmark S&P 500 falling below the 900 mark, as fears that tighter credit may send the global economy into recession slashed the appetite for risk.
The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> slid 401.27 points, or 4.68 percent, to 8,177.92. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> was down 6.43 percent, or 58.48 points, at 851.44. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> was down 69.09 points, or 4.20 percent, at 1,576.03.
(Editing by James Dalgleish)
