Asian stocks plummet on Italian yields

© Scanpix/AP

Asia stock markets descended on Thursday as Italian borrowing rates skyrocketed, rising concerns about the euro area debt crisis. Japan's Nikkei Stock Average lost 2.8%, South Korea's Kospi plunged 3.9% and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index dropped 4.5%. China's Shanghai Composite gave up 1.1% and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 index fell 2.8%.