Shares were mostly lower Tuesday in Asia, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index slipped 0.5 percent to 18,708.49 as Toshiba and other big manufacturers lost ground. Hong Kong's Hang Seng sank 0.8 percent to 24,063.28 and the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.5 percent to 3,252.67 and South Korea's Kospi fell 0.6 percent to 2,119.86. Australia's S&P ASX 200 gained 0.4 percent to 5,938.70. Shares in Southeast Asia were mixed. Benchmark crude oil added 2 cents to $53.10 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It closed higher Monday for the fifth day in a row, adding 84 cents, or 1.6 percent, to $53.08 a barrel. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, gained 6 cents to $56.04 a barrel. It jumped 74 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $55.98 a barrel in London. The dollar fell to 110.94 yen from 111.15 yen late Friday as investors shifted into the traditionally "safe haven" currency. The euro strengthened to $1.0596 from $1.0588.
