Japan's central bank pumps $85.5 billion in market

Japan's central bank has injected 7 trillion yen (US$85.5 billion) into money markets after the devastating earthquake and tsunami raised dire worries about the world's third-largest economy.

Stocks fell in early trading Monday on the first business day after the disasters. The benchmark Nikkei 225 stock average shed 494 points, or 4.8 percent, to 9,760.45 just after the market opened.

Preliminary estimates put repair costs from the earthquake and tsunami that struck Friday in the tens of billions of dollars _ a huge blow for an already fragile economy that lost its place as the world's No. 2 to China last year.

Japan's central bank pumps $85.5 billion in market