06:46 AM EDT, 05/09/2025 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets moved choppily higher Friday, as US President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with the UK and said he expected progress in Beijing-Washington trade talks slated for the weekend in Switzerland.

Hong Kong and Tokyo finished in the green, while Shanghai declined moderately. Other regional exchanges were also uneven on the high side.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened higher and rose to the close, finishing up 1.6% after the US announced a trade deal with the UK, perhaps indicating a path forward for Tokyo-Washington relations.

The yen depreciated against the US dollar in foreign exchange markets, boosting export issues.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 574.70 to 37,503.33, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 193 to 32.

Leading the upside was NTT Data, up 14% after disclosing a corporate reorganization, while Mitsubishi Heavy Industries fell 5.6%.

In economic news, average household spending in Japan in fiscal 2024 (ended April 1) dropped a real 0.1% from the previous year, declining for the second straight annum, as consumers reduced food expenditures amid rising prices, reported the Ministry of Internal Affairs & Communications.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened evenly, waffled, but finished up 0.4% after Trump said Thursday that pending Beijing-Washington trade negotiations could result in "substantive" progress.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 91.82 to 22,867.74, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 46 to 36. However, the Hang Seng TECH Index lost 0.9% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.6%.

Leading the upside was Henderson Land, gaining 6.2%, while Semiconductor Manufacturing International declined 4.8%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite fell 0.3% to 3,342.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI fell 0.1%; the Taiwan TWSE inclined 1.8%; the Australian ASX 200 inclined 0.5%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.7%, and the Thai Set gained 0.4%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 1.1%.

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