Tokyo, March 14 (DPA) Japanese shares plummeted Monday morning, falling below the 10,000-point level after the magnitude 9 earthquake and devastating tsunami that hit Friday in northeastern Japan.
The benchmark Nikkei 225 Stock Average lost 529.92 points, or 5.17 percent, to 9724.51 at 9.39 a.m. (0039 GMT). The broader Topix index was down 64.8 points, or 7.08 percent, at 878.87.
On currency markets at 9.20 a.m. (0020 GMT), the dollar traded at 81.61-64 yen, down sharply from Friday's 5 p.m. quote of 82.78-81 yen.
The euro traded at $1.3923-3926, up from $1.3899-3909 Friday, and at 113.62-68 yen, down from 114.32-36 yen in Tokyo.