Asian markets in red; Nikkei down 16pts

Asian markets have opened on a negative note this morning.

The Hang Seng has plunged 255 points to 13,299. The Nikkei is down 16 points at 7,763.

The Taiwan Weighted index is down seven points at 4,585. The Straits Times index has declined eight points to 1,697, and the Seoul Composite index is down two points at 1,190.

The Shanghai Composite index, however, has moved up 16 points to 2,336.