‘It’s Just a Beginning’: Investors React as Stock Rout Hits Asia
- Shanghai stocks plunge 5.2%, Hong Kong and Japan drop 3.5%
- Taiwan leads losses in region; Nikkei volatility gauge surges
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The sell-off that struck the U.S. overnight ripped through Asian stock markets Thursday, with indexes in Japan, Hong Kong and China tumbling at least 3.5 percent.
All but one stock listed on Japan’s Nikkei 225 Stock Average retreated, while the country’s Topix index posted its steepest decline since March. China’s Shanghai Composite sank 5.2 percent to close at its lowest since November 2014, while the Hang Seng Index lost 3.5 percent. Taiwan’s Taiex index led the rout with a 6.3 percent slump.