The National Collegiate Athletic Association announced a ban on composite bats in 2009 and the National Federation of State High School Associations did so in 2010.

WSJ: Little League Bans Composite Bats

On the first day of trading in the new year, America's high-tech Nasdaq Composite index fell 7.2% as investors worried about falling profits and the state of the economy.

ECONOMIST: Rates come down

Despite the broad regional news, stocks in China were influenced by domestic news, as the Shanghai Composite fell 1.4% to 2294.34 after an editorial in a state-owned newspaper said that the country's recent loose monetary policy is coming to an end.

WSJ: Asian Shares Down; Nikkei Underperforms