Hong Kong's economic downturn is not just lowering people's bank balances, it's lowering their libido as well. Dr Ng Man Lun, of the Asian Society of Sexologists, says he has started to see patients with market money problems disrupting their love lives, something he didn't see in the past when the economy was roaring. While, "a collapse in the stock market causes stress, sexual dysfunction and marital disharmony" peversely an economic boom could also be bad for relationships. People, he said, could get "too excited" for sex if the stock market hit 16,000 points, as it did after Hong Kong's handover to Chinese rule last July 1st. Caught between a rock and a hard place, as it were. The market has since plunged considerably, hammered by the financial crisis sweeping Asia, and stood yesterday at 10,274.60 points. But the news is not all deflating . Good for sales of libido-boosting shark fin soup and puffin fish. Herbalists are also expecting a bumper Valentine's Day business.