Asian markets plunge, Hang Seng down 5 percent

(6 Feb 2008) SHOTLIST 1. Wide of Hong Kong stock exchange 2. Electronic board with stock prices 3. Electronic board reading in English: "Hang Seng Index 23513.55, down -1295.15." 4. Close of electronic board reading: "23513.55 down -1295.15." 5. Various of traders 6. Electronic board with stock prices 7. Various of traders 8. Wide of Hong Kong stock exchange STORYLINE: Hong Kong's benchmark index closed Wednesday's half-day session 5.4 percent lower after a sharp decline on Wall Street overnight. The blue chip Hang Seng Index fell as much as 6.1 percent to 23,283.97 during the morning. It was down 1,339.24 points at 23,469.46 at the close. Analysts said Wednesday's decline was partly due to investors aggressively selling off stocks in reaction to the additional risks associated with the long weekend. Financial markets in Hong Kong were open for a half-day and will remain closed on Thursday and Friday for the Lunar New Year holidays. Trading resumes on Monday, February 11. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 370 points, or 2.93 percent overnight - its largest one-day percentage drop since it lost 3.3 percent on February 27, 2007. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...