Global stocks tumbled on Friday after a survey showed Chinese factories contracted at their fastest pace since the depth of the global financial crisis in 2009, sending investors scurrying to the safety of bonds and gold. Oil prices and emerging market assets also took a hammering, as fears of a China-led deceleration in global growth gripped markets. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan .MIAPJ0000PUS was down 2.1 percent to its lowest since July 27, 2012. Markets in countries whose economic fortunes were closely linked to China’s growth tumbled. Japan’s Nikkei .N225 lost 2 percent and South Korea’s Kospi .KS11 shed 2.2 percent. The mood in markets, already soured by overnight weakness on Wall Street, darkened further on a grim reading of China’s factory activity. The Caixin/Markit manufacturing index showed activity in China’s factory […]