Asian stock markets drifted Thursday after weak retail sales figures suggested the U.S. economy is struggling to maintain growth momentum, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 dropped 1 percent to 19,570.24 in afternoon trading. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.3 percent to 5,696.50. Republic of Korea's Kospi added 0.3 percent to 2,120.33. Markets in Southeast Asia were mixed. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 7.74 points, or 0.04 percent, to 18,060.49 on Wednesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 index 0.64 points, or 0.03 percent, to 2,098.48. The Nasdaq composite added 5.50 points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,981.69. The indexes were up for the month and year. The euro rose to $1.1378 from $1.1242 in the previous trading session. The dollar fell to 119.09 yen from 119.85 yen. Benchmark U.S. crude oil was down 19 cents at $60.31 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 25 cents to close at $60.50 in New York floor trading. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, was down 25 cents at $67.02 a barrel in London.
