Tokyo stocks took their downbeat cue from Wall Street in early trading Thursday, heading sharply lower on intensifying concerns about the European debt crisis.

The Nikkei Stock Average was down 1.6% from Tuesday's close five minutes into the morning session at 8180.17, hitting its lowest levels since April 2009 when the markets were still recovering from the global financial crisis. The market was closed on Wednesday due to a national holiday.

A German government bond auction on Wednesday drew some of the weakest demand since the introduction of the euro, signaling diminishing investorappetite even for the safest euro-zone assets, according to analysts in Tokyo.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average had fallen 236.17 points, or 2.1%, to 11257.55 on Wednesday, finishing at the day's lows.

KOSAKU NARIOKA

• sharply [´ʃɑ:pli] ad.锋利地；剧烈地 (初中英语单词)
• european [juərə´pi:ən] a.欧洲的 n.欧洲人 (初中英语单词)
• financial [fi´nænʃəl] a.金融的，财政的 (初中英语单词)
• wednesday [´wenzdi] n.星期三 (初中英语单词)
• introduction [,intrə´dʌkʃən] n.介绍；引言；引导 (初中英语单词)
• appetite [´æpitait] n.欲望；食欲 (初中英语单词)
• industrial [in´dʌstriəl] a.工业的，产业的 (初中英语单词)
• session [´seʃən] n.会议；会期；(开庭)期 (高中英语单词)
• crisis [´kraisis] n.转折点；危机 (高中英语单词)
• auction [´ɔ:kʃən] n.&vt.拍卖 (英语四级单词)
• investor [in´vestə] n.投资者 (英语六级单词)