Asian markets extend rout as volatility returns

Asian stock markets took another battering Wednesday, with Tokyo leading another day of sharp losses as investors grow increasingly worried about the world economy and the possibility of a global recession. As more bourses reopened after the Lunar New Year break, they immediately plunged into the red, playing catch-up with a rout that has seen billions wiped off valuations from Sydney to Frankfurt to New York. The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index -- which measures market turbulenc