Share prices in several Asian countries have fallen sharply in the midst of the financial turmoil over the fate of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers.
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In Taiwan, the benchmark share index was down by more than 4%, and in India share prices fell by more than 5%.
Several of Asia's major stock exchanges in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Seoul were closed for holidays.
In markets that were trading, financial sectors suffered most after Lehman Brothers, the fourth-largest investment bank in the US, said it would file for bankruptcy protection.
Lehman Brothers has suffered losses of billions of dollars in the sub-prime crisis, and has seen its share price plummet during recent months.
A consortium of international private sector banks and securities firms announced a new $70bn loan fund, intended for use by financial companies to help ease the credit shortage.
The US Central Bank, the Federal Reserve also made new moves to ease access to emergency credit for struggling financial companies, broadening the types of securities financial institutions can use to obtain emergency loans.
(BBC)
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