Major Asian & European markets down

 
Major Asian stock markets fell today, largely due to weakness in semiconductor and technology stocks. South Korea’s Kospi index shed over four and a half per cent, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index lost 1.9 per cent, Singapore’s Strait Times index dropped 1.3 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index declined over 0.6 per, and China’s Shanghai Composite slipped 0.4 per cent. Major European indices were trading with losses today. Germany’s DAX shed 1.3 per cent, France CAC 40 was trading over 0.6 per cent down, and London’s FTSE 100 declined over half a per cent, when reports last came in.