Stocks across Asia plunged in trading Thursday as sharp falls on Wall Street, worries about high oil prices, and concerns about the U.S. economy shook investors.
Tokyo's Nikkei index slipped two percent, while share prices in Taipei, Sydney and Seoul also closed sharply lower.
Crude oil prices have eased back from new highs, but still flirted near the 100-dollar mark Wednesday, adding concern to the U. S. economy -- which has been beset this year by plunging home prices and the declining dollar.
由于华尔街股市大幅下滑、人们对石油价格居高不下的担忧以及对美国经济的担心动摇了投资人的信心，整个亚洲地区的股市星期四大跌。
东京的日经指数下跌了2%，台北、悉尼和首尔的股市收盘时也受重挫。
原油价格从新高位上有所回落，但是星期三的时候仍然接近每桶100美元的价位，使人们对美国经济状况更加忧心。美国经济今年已经受到房屋价格大跌以及美元贬值的困扰。