Asian stocks were mixed Friday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index rose 0.4 percent to 19,912.90 but South Korea's Kospi dipped 0.1 percent to 2,359.26. Hong Kong's Hang Seng rebounded 0.3 percent to 25,647.99 after dropping more than 1 percent the day before while the Shanghai Composite lost 0.2 percent to 3,125.12. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.1 percent to 5,768.20. The dollar maintained its recent gains, helped by the Federal Reserve's decision this week to raise its key interest rate for the third time in half a year and trim its bond holdings on signs that the U.S. economy continues to improve. The dollar rose to 111.16 yen from 110.92 yen in late trading Thursday while the euro crept higher to $1.1149 from $1.1147. Oil futures were steady after sliding to a seven-month low. Benchmark U.S. crude slipped 1 cent to $44.45 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 27 cents to settle at $44.46 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, climbed 6 cents to $46.98 a barrel in London.
