Stocks extended losses on Thursday, with the Nasdaq Composite down 4 percent, on growing fears that the euro zone's handling of its sovereign debt crises could put the global economic recovery in jeopardy.

The Dow Jones industrial average <.DJI> fell 335.25 points, or 3.21 percent, to 10,109.12. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index <.SPX> dropped 39.88 points, or 3.58 percent, to 1,075.17. The Nasdaq Composite Index <.IXIC> slid 91.83 points, or 4.00 percent, to 2,206.54.

Earlier, the Nasdaq fell as much as 4.31 percent to a session low of 2,203.50.