Shares rose in Asia on Thursday after investors bet big on U.S. stocks Wednesday, AP reported. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 stock index advanced 1.3 percent to 19,643.62 and the Hang Seng index in Hong Kong added 0.4 percent to 23,873.53. The Kospi in South Korea climbed 0.4 percent to 2,100.01 and Australia's S&P ASX/200 jumped 1.2 percent to 5,770.60. The Shanghai Composite Index edged 0.1 percent lower to 3,242.77 and markets in Southeast Asia were mixed. U.S. crude fell 11 cents to $53.72 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It shed 18 cents to $53.83 a barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, lost 3 cents to $56.33 a barrel.
