06:49 AM EDT, 06/28/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets moved unevenly higher Friday, as traders took positions ahead of the pending May inflation report from Washington.

Shanghai and Tokyo finished the green, while Hong Kong waffled and concluded flat. Other regional exchanges were uneven.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher on Wall Street cues and held ground, finishing up 0.6% as a weakening yen again helped export issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 241.54 to 39,583.08, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 148 to 76.

Leading the upside was Sumitomo Pharma, up 8%, while Hino Motors lost 5.4%.

In economic news, the widely watched Tokyo core consumer price index, that strips out fresh foods, rose 2.1% on year in June.

The Japanese yen tracked towards 161 to the US dollar, the lowest exchange rate against the greenback since 1986.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower but finished even, despite weakness in property and tech issues.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 2.14 to 17,718.61, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 43 to 35. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 0.8%.

Leading the upside was PetroChina, gaining 4.4%, while toolmaker Techtronic Industries declined 4%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7% to 2,967.40.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI added 0.5%; the Taiwan TWSE gained 0.6%; the Australian ASX 200 was up 0.1%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.3%, and the Thai Set lost 0.7%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.3%.