Monday, September 15, 2008

Tokyo stocks plunge in early Tuesday trading

Tokyo stock prices plunged across the board Tuesday morning in the wake of Lehman Brothers' bankruptcy.

The Tokyo Stock Exchange opened with investors selling a wide range of issues, following a sharp drop in share prices in New York on Monday. The yen's rise against the dollar was also a factor.

The benchmark Nikkei average of 225 selected issues ended the morning session at 11,596, down 618 points from Friday's close. Japanese markets were closed on Monday for a national holiday.

The Nikkei index dipped below 12,000 points for the first time in 6 months, with shares trading at their lowest levels in over 3 years.

The broader TOPIX index of all first section issues was down 66 points, to 1,110.

The sell-off was triggered by concerns that the financial turmoil originating in the United States will worsen.

Market watchers say the deteriorating performance of US financial institutions will likely lead to a further slowdown of the US economy and that of the world.

2008/09/16 12:02

(From NHK)

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