On August 5th will go down in Asian financial history as a day of turmoil. Following the Wall Street earthquake, Asian stock markets followed suit, plunging into an abyss of losses. The Nikkei, the flagship index of the Tokyo Stock Exchange, fell by 12.4%, closing at 31,458.42 points. This dizzying plunge comes after a significant 5.8% decline the previous Friday, marking one of the darkest weeks for Asian financial markets.