Chinese share benchmarks rose Monday on optimism about the economic outlook after the annual session of the National People's Congress opened in Beijing, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index fell 0.5 percent to 19,365.80 in morning trading as top officials blasted North Korea over the missile launches. The Kospi in South Korea gained 0.1 percent to 2,076.79. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index added 0.4 percent to 23,640.03 and the Shanghai Composite index edged 0.4 percent higher to 3,230.10. Australia's S&P ASX/200 rose 0.2 percent to 5,742.10. Benchmark U.S. crude lost 17 cents to $53.16 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained 72 cents on Friday to $53.33 a barrel. Brent crude, used to price international oils, shed 14 cents to $55.76 a barrel. It added 82 cents to close at $55.90 a barrel in London on Friday. The dollar fell to 113.81 yen from 114.03 yen. The euro slipped to $1.0610 from $1.0623.
