Asian shares were mixed Wednesday, as the Tokyo benchmark jumped in the first trading of 2017, helped by a weak yen. Other indexes lost some gains from earlier this week, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 2.2 percent to 19,536.72, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was little changed at 5,734.80. South Korea's Kospi edged up nearly 0.1 percent to 2,045.13. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dipped 0.2 percent to 22,104.67, while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.1 percent to 3,139.80. Benchmark U.S. crude added 33 cents to $52.66 a barrel in New York. It lost $1.39 to $52.33 a barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rose 34 cents to $55.81 a barrel in London. The dollar remained strong, rising to 117.97 yen from 117.39 yen. The euro slumped to $1.0404 from $1.0481.
