Tokyo stocks plunged on Tuesday as the few Asian markets open on Christmas Day suffered a holiday rout on fears about the US economy and a government shutdown in Washington. Tokyo markets, which were closed on Monday for a national holiday, plummeted at the open on Tuesday, with the Nikkei down more than 5% – over 1,000 points – shortly before the morning break. The fall followed a brutal holiday-shortened session on Wall Street that saw US stocks sink for a fourth straight session as investors took little heart from efforts by the US Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, to reassure them. Trump 'plunging us into chaos', Democrats say, as markets tank and shutdown persists Read moreIn Asia, many markets were closed for Christmas, including in Australia, Hong Kong and South Korea. CNBC reported the losses were the worst ever for Wall Street on Christmas Eve, a holiday-shortened session ahead of Tuesday, when markets are closed.

Source: The Guardian December 25, 2018 06:00 UTC