HONG KONG : Asia stocks mostly held firm on Tuesday despite weaker-than-expected Chinese economic data, with investors expecting the world's second-biggest economy to provide policy support.
Japan's broad Topix gained 0.48 per cent to 2,124.92, its highest since August 1990, helped by the robust outlook of its megabanks. Retail sales also missed expectations, and, coming against a backdrop of China's weak industrial, credit growth and import indicators, highlighted a wobbly post-COVID recovery.