06:45 AM EDT, 10/15/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets churned Tuesday, with China-exposed exchanges retreating after a soft trade report from Beijing and souring investor sentiments, while other trading floors largely finished higher.

Hong Kong and Shanghai fell sharply, Tokyo finished in the green, while most other exchanges gained ground.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher on Wall Street cues and finished up 0.8% as traders took positions at the start of earnings season.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 304.75 to 39,910.55, notching the fourth trading day in a row in the green. Gaining issues outnumbered losers 118 to 104.

Leading the upside was semiconductor manufacturing equipment maker Lasertec, up 6.6%, while petrochemical concern ENEOS fell 4.7%.

In economic news, Japan's industrial production in August declined by 4.9% on the year, and fell a seasonally adjusted 3.3% from July, reported the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

Japan's retail sales rose a revised 3.1% in August, up from a preliminary estimate of 2.8%, added METI.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and declined to the close, finishing off 3.7% as traders balked at Beijing's perceived lack of vigor in boosting the Chinese economy, and a soft trade report.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 774.08 to 20,318.79 as losing issues outnumbered gainers 78 to four. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 4.7% on the day while the Mainland Properties Index fell 4.3%.

Leading the thin upside was CK Infrastructure, up 1.7%, while China Resources Beer fell 12.9%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 2.5% to 3,201.29.

In economic news, mainland China exports grew a modest 2.4% on the year in September while imports gained a scant 0.3%, reported the National Bureau of Statistics.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.4%; the Taiwan TWSE inclined 1.4%; the Australian ASX 200 inclined 0.8%; the Singapore Straits Times Index was flat, and the Thai Set declined 0.4%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.2%.