Asian markets mixed; Nikkei drops 158pts

Asian markets were mixed in early trades.

The Nikkei had slumped 158 points to 17,096. The Straits Times index dropped 11 points to 3191, and the KLSE Composite index slipped 12 points to 1235.

The Shanghai index had gained 21 points at 3194. The Taiwan Weighted moved up 12 points to 7800, and the Seoul Composite index added four points to 1444.