Asian markets trading lower; Nikkei down 512 points

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index fell 3% in morning trade today in the wake of a sharp sell-off on Wall Street and a strengthening of the yen against major currencies.

Japan's Nikkei plunged 2.98% 512.04 points at 16,666.80.

Singapore's Straits Times fell 2.78% or 87.82 points at 3,071.08.

South Korea's Seoul Composite was down 2.06% or 29.63 points at 1,406.42.

Taiwan's Taiwan Weighted tumbled 1.51% or 116.03 points at 7,567.97.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.56% or 109.28 points at 19,333.14.

Asian markets slightly weak; Nikkei slips 114pts

Most of the Asian markets were marginally in red.

While the Nikkei ended with a loss of 114 points at 17,179, the Hang Seng was down 49 points at 19,394. The Shanghai Composite index was down nine points at 2946.

The Straits Times index had slipped 19 points to 3163, and the Seoul Compositie index was down five points at 1436. The Taiwan Weighted index, however, was up 55 points at 7684.