Video

Asia stocks sank on Friday with growing U.S. recession worries coming back to haunt investors. Tokyo's 's Nikkei fell 2.3 percent (13,603), taking back some precious gains made over the past few weeks. Fresh Japanese inflation data also matched a decade-high, illustrating the problem the central bank faces in juggling rising prices with a faltering economy. Financial shares such as Nomura were among the stocks that were badly bruised. Exporters such as Sony also fell sharply. Commodities were on fire throughout the session. Gold surged to a new high above 973-dollars an ounce on the inflation woes. Crude oil hit 103 dollars for the first time in history fuelled by a weak dollar. Investors will continue to keep a close eye on the outlook for the U.S. economy. The American market is a major earning point for Asian exporters. Tara Joseph-Hui reporting for Reuters. COMPANIES MENTIONED: SYMBOLS: