Asian stock benchmarks were uneven Thursday as investors digested an upbeat Fed assessment of the U.S. economy that raised the prospect of further rate hikes, while anticipating more stimulus from Japan, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 1.1 percent to end at 16,476.84 and South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.2 percent to 2,021.10. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.2 percent to 22,174.34 while the Shanghai Composite Index in mainland China crept up 0.1 percent to 2,994.32. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 climbed 0.3 percent to 5,556.60. Benchmarks in New Zealand, Thailand and Indonesia gained while those in Singapore and the Philippines fell. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 11 cents to $42.04 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1, or roughly 2.3 percent, to close at $41.92 a barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, slipped 21 cents to $43.71 a barrel in London. The dollar weakened to 104.78 yen from 105.15 yen. The euro strengthened to $1.1099 from $1.1064.
