World Stock Markets - Taiwan shares plunge by 1.55pc.

Byline: S. KAMAL HAYDER KAZMI

Shares in Taiwan fell sharply by more than 1.5 percent Friday as investors turned wary about the stock market outlook ahead of the release of the U.S. February job data, one of the most important factors expected to influence the Federal Reserve's ongoing rate hike cycle, dealers said. In the wake of the heavy losses on the U.S. markets overnight, the local bellwether electronics sector came under pressure, led by large-cap semiconductor stocks, while a sell-off was also seen among old economy and financial stocks, adding more downward pressure on the local main board, dealers added.

The Taiex, the weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange, ended down by...