Hong Kong - Hong Kong shares plunged by more than 7 per cent Friday, falling below 15,000 for the first time in three years, as panic gripped regional markets.

The blue-chip Hang Seng Index lost 1,146.37 points, or 7.19 per cent, to close at 14,796.87. Turnover was 69.3 billion Hong Kong dollars (8.9 billion US dollars).

Analysts said they saw no end to the rout in sight and expected losses to continue into next week as confidence collapses in the rescue packages rolled out by governments worldwide.

Milan, Italy - The Milan Bourse's benchmark S&P/MIB Index, fell 6.65 per cent to 20,415 at 10:20 am (820 GMT) on Friday.

Vienna -

Paris - Following big losses on Wall Street and Asian markets, French shares plummeted in early trading on Friday, with the benchmark CAC 40 tumbling more than 10 per cent before recovering slightly.

After one hour of trading, the index had given up 7.68 per cent, to 3,178.42, with all 40 listed shares in the minus column.

According to Benoit Debroissia, market analyst at Richelieu Finance in Paris, "We are going through a systemic shock in which risk propagates itself through the entire financial system like a virus."

Bangkok - Thailand's stock market regulator

Seoul - Shares nosedived Friday on the Seoul stock exchange on persistent concerns over a global economic recession, following losses in the US market. South Korea's won soared against the dollar after highly volatile trading.

The benchmark Kospi index fell 53.42 points, or 4.1 per cent, to close at 1,241.47.

Declining issues outnumbered advancers 758 to 104.

The main index of the technology-heavy Kosdaq market fell 19.56 points to 350.28.