Asian markets weak; Nikkei down 261pts

Asian markets are weak this morning.

The Hang Seng has slumped 549 points to 22,874. The Nikkei has plunged 261 points to 12,600.

The Taiwan Weighted index has shed 96 points at 8,339. The Straits Times index has slipped 50 points to 2,868, and the Seoul Composite index has declined 28 points to 1,631.

The Shanghai Composite index has dropped 43 points to 4,027.