06:37 AM EDT, 03/27/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets wobbled lower Friday, as traders continued to review Middle East hostilities and the still-closed Strait of Hormuz, through which the Asian Pacific receives the bulk of its crude oil.

China-exposed equities rose after a strong industrial profits report from Beijing.

Hong Kong and Shanghai edged higher, while Tokyo finished in the red. Other regional exchanges were mixed on the downside.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened solidly lower on Middle East concerns but somewhat recovered, finishing off 0.4% as traders looked for values.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 230.58 to 53,373.07, although gaining issues outnumbered losers 148 to 75.

Leading the upside was medical-device maker Olympus, up 6.8%, while Hino Motors declined 5.4%.

In economic news, Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama warned that authorities will take "decisive" action to halt the yen's depreciation against the US dollar, reported Kyodo News. The yen traded at near 160 to the greenback, down from 156 to the dollar a month ago.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened evenly and gained ground in trading, closing up 0.4% as the outlook for China manufacturing appeared brighter, after a profits report from Beijing.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 95.45 to 24,951.88, as gaining issues outnumbered losers 54 to 34. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 0.4% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index rose 0.2%.

Leading the upside was CSPC Pharmaceutical, gaining 13.9%, while Haier Smart Home declined 4.1%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.6% to 3,913.72.

In economic news, profits of China's large industrial enterprises in the combined months of January and February rose 15.2% on year, reported the National Bureau of Statistics.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI fell 0.4%; the Taiwan TWSE declined 0.7%; the Australian ASX 200 declined 0.1%; the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.2%, and the Thai Set inclined 0.3%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 2.3%, after a Thursday hiatus.

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

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