New York - Wall Street stock indices rose Thursday as transportation firms were helped by falling oil prices, and banking shares staged a late-day rally on takeover speculation about embattled Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

US railroad company CSX Corp surged more than 10 per cent as crude oil for October delivery fell another 1.68 dollars to 100.90 dollars per barrel in New York.

New York  - Wall Street stock indices rose Thursday as transportation firms were helped by falling oil prices, and banking shares staged a late-day rally on takeover speculation about embattled Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.

US railroad company CSX Corp surged more than 10 per cent as crude oil for October delivery fell another 1.68 dollars to 100.90 dollars per barrel in New York.

Singapore - Stocks on the Singapore Exchange fell 2.5 per cent on Thursday with banks leading the decline.

The benchmark Straits Times Index slid 66.77 points to 2,569.58.

Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares slid back a further 3 per cent Thursday as investors sold off stocks on concerns over the state of the global economy.

The Hang Seng Index fell 611.06 points, or 3.09 per cent, to close the day at 19,388.72 points, just one day after tumbling back through the 20,000 barrier. Turnover was 
69.59 billion Hong Kong dollars (8.9 billion US dollars).

The benchmark index Sensex declined further into the depressing zone as credit fears mounted in the Asian markets. Realty, oil & gas and power stocks witnessed heavy selling action.

Midcap and Smallcap index declined 0.70% and 0.51% respectively.

Today, the 30-share index, BSE Sensex opened at 14,557.33 after losing 105.28 points, as against its last closure at 14,662.61.

At 11.14 a.m., the 30-share index Sensex stood at 14,452.17, down 210.44 points, after hitting a high of 14,557.33 and a low of 14,452.17.

In the meantime, the broad based Nifty lost 79.70 points at 4,320.55, after touching a high of 4,399.30 and a low of 4,319.20. (11.14 a.m.)

Tokyo - Tokyo stocks continued their losing streak Thursday on lingering US credit woes.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average declined 149.74 points, or 1.21 per cent, in morning trading to 12,196.89.

The broader Topix index of all first-section issues was also down 18.13 points, or 1.5 per cent, at 1,174.25.

Shares were hit after Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc, the fourth-largest US investment bank, which has been hard-hit by the US financial and mortgage crisis, reported a record loss Wednesday of 3.9 billion dollars.