Shares were higher in trading Monday in Asia, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index slipped 0.2 percent to 19,842.15, falling back after early gains. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index added 25,282.12 and the Shanghai Composite index rose 0.2 percent to 3,090.49. Australia's S&P ASX 200 was nearly unchanged at 5,835.20. The Kospi of South Korea climbed 0.2 percent to 2,291.08. Shares Southeast Asia were mostly higher. Benchmark U.S. crude oil gained 83 cents to $48.67 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained $1.01 on Friday. Brent crude, the international standard, jumped 81 cents to $51.65 a barrel. The dollar was steady at 135.56 yen and the euro slipped to $1.0928 from $1.0932.
