Dismal start in Asia as attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and Wall Street declines leave their mark

It's all negative on some of Asia's largest stock exchanges at lunchtime on Friday, although there are no deep dives.

The Japanese Nikkei 225 index and the broader Topix are both down 1.0 percent.

In Seoul, the Kospi is down 1.4 percent.

The Hong Kong-based Hang Seng is down 1.3 percent, while Shanghai and Shenzhen are down 0.6 and 1.0 percent respectively.