Hong Kong shares fall to lowest since 2009, Bank of Japan leaves rates unchanged

Hong Kong stocks fell to their lowest levels since April 2009, leading losses in Asia-Pacific, as the Bank of Japan kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged.

The Hang Seng index fell 3.66% to close at 14,863.06 after losing more than 4% earlier in the session as the Hang Seng Tech index fell 5.56% in Hong Kong. In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 fell 0.87% to 6,785.70. Nikkei 225 In Japan, the Topix fell 0.88% to 27,105.20 while trading 0.34% lower at 1,899.05. The Japanese Yen initially held 146 levels after the Bank of Japan kept interest rates at ultra-low levels, but later crossed 147. South Korea's Kospi was down 0.89 at 2,268.40. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan fell 1.89%. In mainland China, the Shanghai Composite closed 2.25% lower at 2,915.93 and the Shenzhen Composite lost 3.24% to close at 10,401.84. Overnight in the US, the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 194.17 points, or 0.6%, to 32,033.28, ending its fifth positive session. The S&P 500 closed down 0.6% at 3,807.30, while the Nasdaq Composite lost 1.6% to 10,792.68. Follow Global Economic Developments on Social Media! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Facebook account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Instagram account! Click here to follow Ieconomy official Twitter account!