Hong Kong  - Hong Kong shares fell almost 2.5 per cent in morning trading Thursday following overnight losses on Wall Street driven by oil price rises and inflation fears.

The Hang Seng Index lost 565.59 points to end the morning at 22,809.93 points, 2.42 points down on Wednesday's close. Turnover was 40.8 billion Hong Kong dollars (5.22 billion US dollars).

The decline mirrored sharp falls in stock prices across Asia Thursday morning following glum news from the US Federal Reserve about the prospects for the US and global economy. (dpa)