Stocks sell off on recession fears after weak jobs report

U.S. stock markets plunged Friday following a weaker-than-expected jobs report that raised fears the economy could be slowing down faster than analysts had been thinking.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average of major U.S. companies had fallen by more than 900 points in Friday morning trading before settling 750 points lower, a loss of 1.9 percent, shortly after noon.

The S&P 500 index was down 2 percent of its value, shedding 141 points, while the technology-focused Nasdaq...