06:39 AM EDT, 06/16/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets churned unevenly higher on Tuesday, as traders monitored media reports on a Persian Gulf peace deal and reviewed a slew of tempered economic reports from Beijing.

Tokyo inched into green, while Hong Kong and Shanghai lost ground. Other regional exchanges largely finished higher.

Brent crude oil futures traded at $81.06 during market hours, down 2.5%.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened evenly and finished up 0.1% after a modest key policy rate increase by the Bank of Japan.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 87.00 to 69,404.50, inching to another fresh all-time high, although losing issues outnumbered gainers 143 to 78.

Leading the upside was telecom-equipment maker Fujikura, up 9%, while builder Obayashi declined 4.5%.

In economic news, the Bank of Japan lifted its policy rate to a 31-year high of 1%, citing inflation risks and a soft yen.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and drifted south, closing down 1.4% after economic reports from Beijing pointed to a still-sluggish property market and soft consumer spending.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 348.72 to 24,493.95, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 74 to 17. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 2.2% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 3.6%.

Leading the upside was computer-maker Lenovo, gaining 4.3%, while property-concern Longfor declined 8.9%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.1% to 4,091.89.

In economic news, mainland China's retail sales in May fell 0.6% on year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported.

The nation's fixed-asset investment fell 4.1% on-year in the first five months of the year, which was larger than the 1.6% decline seen in the January-April period, added the agency.

China's new home prices across 70 cities fell 3.5% on-year in May, matching April's pace and extending a period of softness in home values dating back to 2022 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In contrast, China's industrial production grew 4.5% on year in May, reported the NBS.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 2.1%; the Taiwan TWSE inclined 0.9%; the Australian ASX 200 was steady; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.8%, and the Thai Set declined 0.2%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was up 0.7%

The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index rose 0.5% on the day.