Asian stocks were mixed Tuesday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index added 0.2 percent to 18,398.24 while South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.2 percent to 2,140.80. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1 percent to 24,016.88 and the Shanghai Composite Index edged less than 0.1 percent higher to 3,223.61. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 fell 1.1 percent to 5,824.10. Shares in Southeast Asia were higher. Oil prices slipped. Benchmark U.S. crude futures lost 12 cents to $52.53 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost 53 cents, or 1 percent, to settle at $52.65 a barrel on Monday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, crept 2 cents lower to $55.34 per barrel in London. The dollar strengthened to 109.03 yen from 108.90 yen in late trading Monday. The euro rose to $1.0652 from $1.0643.
