Asian stocks were mostly higher Wednesday, AP reported. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.8 percent to 3,128.61 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.2 percent to 26,043. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 lost 0.2 percent to 19,937.09 and Seoul's Kospi was off 0.1 percent at 2,366.34. Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 advanced 0.1 percent to 5,671.00 and benchmarks in Southeast Asia also gained. Benchmark U.S. crude retreated 8 cents to $48.11 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract jumped 79 cents on Tuesday to close at $48.19. Brent crude, used to price international oils, shed 7 cents to $50.05 in London. It rose 65 cents in the previous session to $50.12. The dollar gained to 109.50 yen from Tuesday's 109.39 yen. The euro declined to $1.1266 from $1.1278.
