Nikkei plunges 4%, closes below 13,000

TOKYO, Japan - A signboard at a securities firm in Tokyo's Nihonbashi district shows Japan's Nikkei Stock Average falling 610.84 points on March 3. The index closed below the 13,000 mark for the first time since Jan. 23 on the dollar's sharp depreciation against the yen and escalating fears of a hard-hitting U.S. recession.