Asia: Financials Weigh on Market

Asian stocks sold off heavily in Thursday's trading, with indices suffering their worst collective one-day decline since August, prompted by heavy selling in financials.

China's Shanghai Composite Index plunged 271 points, or 4.85%, to 5330, while in Hong Kong the Hang Seng tumbled 948 points, or 3.19%, to 28,760.

In Japan, the Nikkei slipped 325 points, or 2.02%, to 15,771, while the Topix shed 40 points, or 2.5%, to 1516. The Korean Kospi, which has been surging in recent weeks on Chinese bargain hunting, plummeted 63 points, or 3.11%, to 1979.

"On a global basis there's no way in denying it -- multiples look extremely elevated, but also if you're trying to take a long-term view, while all the fundamentals seem right I find it's very hard to buy these stocks," says Jeroen Knol, a fund manager for ABN Amro. "I still have positions [in financials] in China but mainly I've been trimming them on the way with every new high." ...