Global stocks markets hit after Chinese data and Fed comments

Global stock markets fall after weak Chinese economic data and concerns the US may scale back monetary stimulus efforts but the Dow Jones closed flat.

European markets slipped, with London, Frankfurt and Paris all closing down by about 2%. But in the US, the Dow Jones ended barely changed.

In Asia, the fall was led by Japan's Nikkei index, which closed down 7.3% having fallen as much as 10%.

follow: The falls mark a retreat from record high levels for several indexes.