Tokyo stocks drop 2.22 per cent

Tokyo stocks have tumbled 2.22 per cent to a near five-month low on a stronger yen following sell-offs in New York and Europe that were fuelled by fears about the global economy and the Ebola epidemic. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange lost 335.14 points to finish at 14,738.38 on Thursday, the lowest close since late May, while the Topix index of all first-section shares slipped 2.30 per cent, or 28.17 points, to 1,195.50. On Thursday in Tokyo, the US dollar bought 106.19 yen, against 105.91 yen in New York on Wednesday afternoon, but it was sharply down from 107.33 yen in Tokyo earlier on Wednesday. The greenback has fallen about three per cent against the yen since breaking 110 yen at the start of October. The Nikkei has lost almost 9.0 per cent since the start of the month, according to skynews.com