05:50 AM EST, 11/22/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets were split on Friday, with China-exposed exchanges sinking on pessimism regarding the outlook for the Sino economy, while shares elsewhere rose on strength in tech issues.

Tokyo and other regional trading floors finished in the green, while Shanghai and Hong Kong lagged.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher and gained ground, finishing up 0.7%, led by bank and tech stocks. A softer yen aided exporters.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 257.68 to 38,283.85, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 148 to 74.

Leading the upside was bank Credit Saison, up 6.2%, while materials and electronics house Taiyo Yuden declined 2.7%.

In economic news, Japan's headline consumer price index, or CPI, rose 2.3% on year in October, while the widely quoted CPI core rate, which excludes fresh foods, also rose by 2.3%, reported the Statistics Bureau.

The Bank of Japan has a 2% annual inflation target on the CPI core.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened evenly but tracked lower as traders grew pessimistic on additional fiscal and monetary stimulus from Beijing to boost China's struggling property sector and sluggish economy.

A tempered earnings season also dulled investor appetites.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 371.14 to 19,229.97, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 75 to six. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 2.6% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 3.7%.

Leading the upside was BYD Electronic International, gaining 4.3%, while internet search engine giant and industry bellwether Baidu lost 8.6% after reporting an on-year decline in quarterly revenue.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 3.1% to 3,267.19.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.8%; the Taiwan TWSE added 1.6%; the Australian ASX 200 was up 0.9%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.2%, and the Thai Set gained 0.4%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 2.5%.