05:35 AM EST, 03/02/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets tracked unevenly lower Monday on Middle East war jitters and prospects for tighter petroleum markets.

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

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened lower on war news and could not recover, finishing off 1.4% as traders weighed the effects of higher oil prices on corporate earnings.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 793.03 to 58,057.24, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 160 to 62.

Leading the upside was conglomerate Toppan, gaining 8.5% after disclosing a stock buyback program, while financial-house Nomura declined 6.8%.

In economic news, the headline Japan manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) struck 53.0 in February, up from 51.5 in January, and rising further above the neutral 50-mark which separates growth from contraction, reported S&P Global.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower and drifted south, closing down 2.1% on war jitters.

The broad gauge Hang Seng fell 570.69 to 26,059.85, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 76 to 12. The Hang Seng TECH Index lost 2.9% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index fell 1.3%.

Leading the upside was Xinyi Glass, gaining 12.4% after reporting financial results, while JD Health International declined 5.2%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite bucked global trends and rose 0.5% to 4,182.59, undergirded by oil and defense issues.

On the other regional exchanges, the Taiwan TWSE declined 0.9%; the Australian ASX 200 was flat; the Singapore Straits Times Index fell 2.1%, and the Thai Set declined 4%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 1.3%.

The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index fell 1.7% on the day.

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