06:42 AM EDT, 10/23/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Asian stock markets churned on Friday, as traders weighed rising global crude prices but waded back into tech shares on China-exposed exchanges.

Hong Kong and Shanghai gained ground, while Tokyo finished in the red. Other regional exchanges were muted, with trading floors in Bangkok and Taiwan dark on holiday.

Brent crude futures rose 1% to $114.37 a barrel, during Asian market hours.

In Japan, the Nikkei 225 opened lower and could not recover, off 0.3% as AI- and semiconductor-related shares remained under pressure.

The benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 214.68 to 62,693.16, as losing issues outnumbered gainers 143 to 81.

Leading the upside was online marketplace Mercari, up 7.3% after recent sell-offs, while electronics-house TDK declined 5.6%.

In economic news, Japan's flash composite purchasing managers index held steady at 52.3 in October, unchanged from September, and still striking above the 50-mark that separates growth from contraction, reported S&P Global.

The nation's core consumer price index, which excludes fresh food but includes energy, rose by 2.1% on-year in September, following a 1.7% rise in August, reported the Statistics Bureau.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index opened lower but rose to the close, finishing up 0.7% as value-hunters became active after recent bear moves.

The broad gauge Hang Seng rose 158.69 to 23,093.37 as gaining issues outnumbered losers 73 to 19. The Hang Seng TECH Index gained 2.1% on the day, while the Mainland Properties Index rose 0.9%.

Leading the upside was Aluminum Corporation of China, gaining 7%, while computer-maker Lenovo declined 2.3%.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite rose 0.9% to 3,690.48.

On the other regional exchanges, the S. Korean KOSPI rose 0.3%, the Australian ASX 200 was steady, and the Singapore Straits Times Index rose 0.1%. In late trading in Mumbai, the Sensex was down 0.2%.

The MSCI All Country Asia Pacific Index rose 0.1% on the day.

On other news, India's flash composite PMI rose to 56.7 in October from 55.9 in September, reported S&P Global.

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