Asian markets weak; Nikkei down 155pts

Asian markets are weak in morning trades.

The Nikkei has slipped 155 points to 16,363. The Hang Seng has plunged 728 points to 29,741.

The Taiwan Weighted index has shed 139 points to 9135. The Straits Times has declined 23 points to 3692, and the Seoul Composite index is down 16 points to 2003.

The Shanghai Composite index has dropped 35 points to 5743.