Shares fell in Asia on Thursday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index fell 0.2 percent to 19,838.86 and South Korea's Kospi sank 0.6 percent to 2,358.66. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong dropped 1.0 percent to 25,621.26 and Shanghai's Composite index edged 0.1 percent lower to 3,128.21. The S&P ASX 200 in Australia tumbled 1.2 percent to 5,761.00. Shares in Southeast Asia also were mostly lower. Oil futures plunged overnight after the U.S. government said oil supplies shrank only slightly last week while gasoline stockpiles grew. Benchmark U.S. crude fell another 2 cents to $44.71 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell $1.73, or 3.7 percent, to settle at $44.73 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rebounded, gaining 6 cents higher to $47.06 a barrel. It had shed $1.72, or 3.5 percent, to close at $47 a barrel in London. The dollar rose to 109.64 from 109.57 yen. The euro edged up to $1.1218 from $1.1217.
