Tokyo shocks tumble with Nikkei briefly below 15,000

Tokyo stocks ended sharply lower on Monday with Nikkei temporarily plunging below the 15,000 threshold, as a sell-off in emerging market currencies prompted investors to flee riskier assets. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average tumbled 385.83 points, or 2. 51 percent, from Friday to end at 15,005.73, after falling to as low as 14,933.55 for the first time since mid-November. The broader Topix index of all First Section issues on the Tokyo Stock Exchange was down 35.37 points, or 2.80 percent, at 1, 229.23. All of the 33 sector declined and were led by insurance, steel and real estate shares. The turnover was about 2,850.2 billion yen (about 28.72 billion U.S. dollars).