06:44 AM EDT, 03/13/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets tracked lower Thursday, as investors mulled interest rates and the international trade picture.

Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tokyo finished in the red, as did most other regional exchanges.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher on Wall Street cues but slipped during trading, finishing off 0.1% as a stronger yen undercut export issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 29.05 to 36,790.03 as losing issues outnumbered gainers 112 to 111.

Electronic-components maker Taiyo Yuden declined 5.5%, while Japan Steel Works rose 6.2%.

In economic news, Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda said real wages and personal consumption will likely improve in 2025, sparking speculation the central bank will raise interest rates further.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened evenly but tracked lower in afternoon, closing down 0.6% as traders weighed the Trump administration's evolving trade policies.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 137.66 to 23,462.65 as losing issues outnumbered gainers 57 to 24. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 1.7% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.9%.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International declined 5%, while coal-producer China Shenhua Energy gained 1.9%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.4% to 3,358.73.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI was down 0.1%; the Taiwan TWSE declined 1.4%; the Australian ASX 200 dropped 0.5%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.1%, and the Thai Set was steady. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.3%.

In other news, India's index of industrial production rose 5% on year in January, accelerating from the 3.2% growth in December, reported the National Statistics Office.

India's consumer price index rose 3.61% on year in February, cooling from the 4.26% rate logged in January, and lower than the recent apex of 6.21% recorded in October of last year, reported the NSO.