Shares wavered Wednesday in Asia, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 0.3 percent to 18,861.27 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng rebounded to gain 0.3 percent to 24,326.99. The Kospi of South Korea was flat at 2,160.85. Australia's S&P ASX 200 rose 0.3 percent to 5,876.20 and the Shanghai Composite index advanced 1.5 percent to 3,270,31. Markets in Southeast Asia were mostly higher. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 39 cents to $51.42 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained 79 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $51.35 per barrel. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 41 cents to $54.58. On Tuesday, it gained $1.05, or 2 percent, to $54.17 a barrel in London. The dollar slipped to 110.64 yen from 110.96 yen. The euro edged up to $1.0684 from $1.0665.
