DAX hits 21-month low on recession worries

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The German blue chip index hit an 21-month low on Friday, extending Thursday's steep decline as worries that major economies could be headed into a recession lingered on.

"Fears of a new recession in the United States have reached dimensions which were almost unimaginable only a few weeks ago," said Rabeya Khan, an analyst at Close Brothers Seydler.

The DAX hit 5,345.63 points, down 4.6 pct and hitting levels not seen since November 2009 in strong trading volumes.

By 3:50 a.m. EDT trading volumes were at 36 percent of 90-day average.

(Reporting by Blaise Robinson and Harro ten Wolde)