06:36 AM EDT, 09/30/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets churned on Tuesday, after soft economic reports on China suggested more stimulus from Beijing, while traders also eyed a possible US government shutdown and bulletins reflecting a sluggish Japanese business scene.

Hong Kong and Shanghai finished in the green, while Tokyo fell back. Other regional exchanges were also uneven.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 finished off 0.2% after weak retail and industrial reports.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 111.12 to 44,932.63, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 113 to 111.

Leading the upside was industrial machinery maker Ebara, up 6.7%, while semiconductor test equipment manufacturer Advantest declined 3.3%.

In economic news, Japan's retail sales declined 1.1% on the year in August, while the nation's industrial output fell 1.2% in August from July, reported the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI).

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index finished up 0.9% after tempered economic reports boosted market expectations for more stimulus from Beijing.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 232.68 to 26,855.56, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 58 to 28. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 2.2% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index rose 1.4%.

Leading the upside was WuxiAppTec, gaining 8.1%, while PetroChina declined 2.7%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.5% to 3,882.78.

In economic news, China's official manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) rose to 49.8 in September from 49.4 in August, but still struck below the 50-marker that separates growth from contraction, reported the National Bureau of Statistics. The nation's non-manufacturing PMI declined to 50.0 in August from 50.3 in July, according to the NBS.

Separately, S&P Global's China seasonally adjusted manufacturing PMI rose to 51.2 in September, up from 50.5 in August, reported the credit-rating agency. Services PMI declined to 53.0 in September from 52.9 in August.

On the other regional exchanges, the South Korean KOSPI fell 0.2%; the Taiwan TWSE rose 0.9%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.2%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.7%, and the Thai Set declined 1.1%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was steady.