Asian shares were mostly higher Thursday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 0.2 percent to 19,251.87 while South Korea's Kospi gained 0.1 percent to 2,210.65. Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.4 percent to 24,666.29 and the Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.2 percent to 3,147.82. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.2 percent to 5,921.50. Benchmarks in Southeast Asia were mixed. Benchmark U.S. crude oil fell 23 cents to $49.39 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 6 cents to settle at $49.62 a barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, fell 22 cents to $52.19. The euro slipped to $1.0898 from $1.0905 while the dollar rose to 111.26 yen from 111.07 yen late Wednesday.
