Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Global Sell-off Reaches European Markets VOA News 07 May 2010 A floor trader checks on the stock price at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange , 07 May 2010 Photo: AP A floor trader checks on the stock price at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange , 07 May 2010 Europe's major stock indexes are all off to a rocky start in Friday morning trading as fears over the ongoing Greek debt crisis continue to spike concerns about the fragile global economy. London, Paris and Frankfurt all opened between one and two percent lower, as investors reacted to Thursday's massive sell-off on Wall Street. Asian markets have also plunged Friday. Japan's benchmark Nikkei index ended its trading session down just over three percent, its lowest margin in two months, while markets in Seoul and Sydney dropped as much as two percent at one point.  The Asia market slump comes on the heels of Thursday's close call on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which lost nearly 1,000 points at one point during the trading session. The loss marked the biggest intraday loss since 1987.  The Dow eventually recovered to finish at 10,519, a loss of 347 points. Other major indexes also fell sharply. The ongoing Greek sovereign debt crisis played a major role in Thursday's massive sell-off, but sources on the New York Stock Exchange say trading errors may also have contributed to the plunge.  On Thursday, the euro hit a 14-month low and the price of gold soared a bit more than $33 at one point as investors dumped the currency and sought a safer place to put their money. At the same time, the price of oil fell sharply, on concerns that the Greek crisis could hurt economic growth and slow demand for energy. European nations and the International Monetary Fund have put a $145 billion aid package together for Greece in exchange for sharp cuts in salaries and public spending.  That austerity plan sparked riots in Athens, raising questions about whether or not the aid plan would be successful. Some investors may have been disappointed that the European Central Bank did not outline any additional efforts to fight the debt crisis as it wrapped up a key meeting earlier on Thursday. The Bank of Japan announced Friday it will offer $22 billion to financial institutions to boost liquidity. Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP. .