06:05 AM EST, 11/19/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets tracked moderately higher Tuesday after tech issues showed strength in overnight trading on Wall Street.

Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo finished in the green, as did other regional exchanges. Singapore shares hit a 17-year high.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher on Wall Street cues and held ground, finishing up 0.5% as traders regained confidence in tech issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 193.58 to 38,414.43, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 154 to 68.

Leading the upside was Japan Steel Works, up 11.6%, while video game maker Bandai Namco declined 3.8%.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened higher, see-sawed but finished up 0.4%, led by rising tech stocks.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 87.06 to 19,663.67 as gaining issues outnumbered losers 57 to 21. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 1.2% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 0.2%.

Leading the upside was BYD Electronic International, gaining 6.3%, while China Resources Mixc Lifestyle declined 2.6%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7% to 3,346.01.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.1%; the Taiwan TWSE was up 1.3%; the Australian ASX 200 inclined 0.9%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.7%, and the Thai Set added 0.5%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 0.3%.

In other news, India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday called for lower bank-lending rates, joining Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyalin calls for easing of interest rates.

Speaking at a State Bank of India event, the Finance minister said that high borrowing costs were challenging for industries seeking to expand and build capacities, reported livemint.com, an Indian news service.