Asian stocks were mixed Wednesday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 fell 0.3 percent to 19,628.57 in afternoon trading, and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added nearly 0.2 percent to 5,726.80. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.1 percent to 2,345.58. Hong Kong's Hang Seng inched down nearly 0.1 percent to 25,689.95, while the Shanghai Composite was up nearly 0.2 percent at 3,115.33. Benchmark U.S. crude lost 29 cents to $49.37 a barrel in New York. It lost 14 cents to $49.66 a barrel Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 30 cents to $51.94 a barrel in London. The dollar fell to 110.94 yen from 111.07 yen late Tuesday in Asia. The euro slipped to $1.1172 from $1.1181.
