Fears of further market turmoil deepen after US economic data spooked investors

Analysts await key services sector metric to gauge US vulnerability to recession as stocks in Middle East fall amid regional tension

Global investors are bracing for further turmoil, after fears that the powerhouse US economy could be drifting towards recession sent stock markets tumbling at the end of last week.

Investors in Europe, Asia and New York were spooked by US data that include worse-than-expected job numbers on Thursday, prompting concern that the world's largest economy is in worse shape than previously thought.