06:41 AM EDT, 07/25/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets buckled Thursday, joining the global tech rout after internet colossus Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and EV maker Tesla (TSLA) reported disappointing earnings on Wednesday.

Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Tokyo finished in the red, as did other regional exchanges. Exchanges in Taiwan remained closed on typhoon watch.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened sharply lower on Wall Street cues, finishing off 3.3% as tech issues wilted and a stronger yen undercut export stocks.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 1,285.51 to 37,869.51, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 189 to 35.

Leading the upside was beverage house Sapporo, up 3.2%, while semiconductor maker Renesas Electronics fell 13.6%.

In economic news, the Japanese yen strengthened to near 153 to the US dollar, after depreciating to more than 160 to the greenback in early July.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and drifted south, finishing off 1.8%. Concerns lingered that mainland China's economy, still undercut by a struggling property market, will temper the regional economy in the second half of 2024.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 306.08 to 17,004.97, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 68 to 14. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 2% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.1%.

Leading the upside was Haier Smart Home, gaining 5.1%, while online delivery service Meituan fell 5.5%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.5% to 2,886.74.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI fell 1.7%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 1.3%; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 0.9%, and the Thai Set declined 0.5%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.1%.

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