06:34 AM EDT, 08/14/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets mostly retreated on Thursday as traders weighed the unfolding earnings season and locked in gains after recent bull moves.

Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo finished in the red, as did most other regional exchanges.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 finished off 1.4% as traders sold after the benchmark index struck a record high on Wednesday. A stronger yen undercut export issues.

The Nikkei 225 fell 625.41 to 42,649.26, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 173 to 48.

Leading the upside was game maker Nexon, up 6.7% after reporting earnings, while chip designer Socionext declined 8.4%.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened higher but trended downward throughout the day, finishing off 0.4% on tech-sector weakness.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 94.35 to 25,519.32, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 48 to 35. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1% on the day, but the Mainland Properties Index rose 1.2%.

Leading the upside was sportswear maker Li Ning, gaining 5.9%, while computer maker Lenovo declined 6%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.5% to 3,666.44.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI was flat; the Taiwan TWSE declined 0.5%; the Australian ASX 200 rose 0.5%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.4%, and the Thai Set declined 0.8%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was steady.

In other news, pulled down by food and fuel bills, India's wholesale price index (WPI) declined 0.58% year-on-year in July, on the heels of a 0.13% decline in June, reported the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.