Mumbai, Nov 20 : The Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE)''s Sensitive Index (Sensex) tumbled more than five per cent on Thursday, led by losses in top-listed Reliance Industries and financial stocks, joining the rest of Asia in a broad sell-off after U. S. markets plunged.

By noon, the 30-share BSE index was down five per cent at 8,335.02, after falling as low as 8,316.39.

This was its lowest since October 27, when it touched a three-year low of 7,697.39.

The 50-share National Stock Exchange (NSE) index was down 4.33 per cent at 2,520.90.

Tokyo - Asian stock markets took heavy losses Thursday, reflecting widespread gloom about US economic troubles and another bad day on Wall Street.

Japan's key Nikkei 225 Stock Average plummeted nearly 7 per cent, ending the day below the 8,000 level.

Traders said the sell-off was the result of mounting concern over the US economy, particularly the Big Three automakers' financial fate.

The Nikkei 225 Stock Average tumbled 570.18 points, or 6.89 per cent, to close at 7,703.04.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues also fell 45.15 points, or 5.46 per cent, to 782.28.

Frankfurt - A new grim warning from the US Federal Reserve about the outlook for the giant American economy triggered another share sell-off around the world with stocks in Europe slumping by about 3 per cent in early trading Thursday.

Europe's broad-based Dow Jones Stoxx 600 index had dropped 2.9 per cent to 2228.99 as the trading day got underway following steep falls across Asia and after stocks on Wall Street plummeted by more than 5 per cent on Wednesday.

Singapore - Singapore share prices slid Thursday, reflecting a gloomy economic outlook and the regional downward trend.

The Straits Times Index fell 3.1 per cent, or 51.64 points, to close at 1,613.95.

Trading volume on the Singapore Exchange was thin, totaling 950.5 million shares. The exchange closed the day with 324 losers and 140 gainers.

Singapore shares have been under pressure all this week as the city-state's and regional corporations try to weather the impact of the global financial crisis, economists said.

Jakart

Hong Kong - Hong Kong stocks fell 4.04 per cent Thursday, joining a regional downward spiral in share prices after heavy overnight losses on Wall Street.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index closed at 12,298, down 517 points. Turnover was 44.6 billion Hong Kong dollars (5.75 billion US dollars).

At one point, the index fell more than 6 per cent and threatened to close below 12,000; however, it bounced back slightly in later trading to stay above that barrier.