HONG KONG (AP) — Asian stock markets closed mostly lower Tuesday, but the key index in Tokyo rose for the first time in three sessions.

Tokyo’s Nikkei Stock Average of 225 selected issues gained 55.93 points, or 0.54 percent, to 10,332.57. On Monday, the index fell 4.53 points, or 0.04 percent.

The Nikkei drifted lower during the morning following a pullback on Wall Street, where the Dow Jones industrial average slipped 0.6 percent and the Nasdaq composite average fell 0.1 percent in trading Monday.

But the blue-chip index moved into positive territory during the last hour of trade as global hedge funds snapped up technology shares, traders said.

Foreign institutional investors were apparently influenced by a recent brokerage report suggesting earnings prospects may be brightening for chipmakers and their suppliers, they said.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar was quoted at 117.78 yen, up 0.22 yen from late Monday and above the 117.32 yen it bought in New York later that day.

In Hong Kong, the key Hang Seng Seng Index slipped 10.29 points, or 0.10 percent, to 10,753.93. On Monday, the index edged up 3.49 points, or 0.03 percent.

The market was hit by selective profit-taking following three straight sessions of gains, brokers said.

Sentiment was also dampened by Monday’s declines on Wall Street.

Taiwan shares closed sharply lower on disappointing financial results from two key technology companies.

A news report that the Taiwanese government’s National Stabilization Fund was selling off its stock market assets had also made investors jittery, even though the fund’s steering committee denied the report’s claims at midday.

The benchmark index of the Taiwan Stock Exchange fell 128.60 points, or 2.3 percent, to 5,558.25.

Elsewhere:

SINGAPORE: Shares closed lower, pushed down by the continued fall in banking stocks and Monday’s weakness on Wall Street. The benchmark Straits Times Index fell 30.37 points, or 1.9 percent, to 1,600.02.

MANILA: Philippine shares closed lower Tuesday, snapping a two-day rise as the peso continued its slide to historic lows, and political and security concerns lingered. The 30-company Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 13.25 points, or 1 percent, to 1,248.85.

WELLINGTON: New Zealand shares closed higher. The NZSX-50 Gross Index rose 12.21 points, or 0.56 percent, to 2,184.18.

SYDNEY: Australian shares closed slightly lower. The All Ordinaries Index fell 7.70 points, or 0.24 percent, to 3,167.30.

SEOUL: South Korean shares closed lower on a technical correction. The Korea Composite Stock Price Index, or Kospi, fell 3.73 points, or 0.5 percent, to 753.00.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian shares closed lower on profit-taking. The Composite Index of 100 blue chips fell 1.24 points, or 0.2 percent, to 741.02.

JAKARTA: Indonesian shares closed marginally lower. The Composite Index fell 0.27 points, or 0.1 percent, to 528.75.

BANGKOK: Thai shares closed mixed. The Stock Exchange of Thailand Index rose 1.53 points, or 0.3 percent, to 531.06.