Tokyo stocks open down 0.70 percent

TOKYO: Tokyo stocks opened 0.70 percent lower on Friday, following a sell-off on Wall Street on weak eurozone data, the Argentine debt default and other negative news.

The Nikkei 225 index lost 109.23 points to 15,511.54 at the start. US stocks fell sharply on Thursday in a broad sell-off attributed to a range of factors, including weak European inflation data, the Argentine default and weak US corporate earnings.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 1.88 percent to 16,563.30, erasing all its gains since the end of 2013.

The broad-based S&P 500 sank 2.00 percent to a seven-week low while the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index fell 2.09 percent.

Currency rates were moving only narrowly ahead of the US release of key jobs data later Friday.

The dollar was at 102.78 yen in early Asian trade on Friday, compared with 102.80 yen in New York Thursday afternoon.The euro bought $1.3386 and 137.60 yen against $1.3390 and 137.65 yen in US trade.