Shares were mostly higher in Asia Thursday. Japan's Nikkei 225 stock index was flat at 20,094.61 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng index jumped 1.1 percent to 26,337.49. The Shanghai Composite index climbed 0.4 percent at 3,210.65 and the S&P ASX 200 surged 1.1 percent to 5,735.40. South Korea's Kospi gained 1.2 percent to 2,419.18. Shares in Southeast Asia were mostly higher. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 3 cents to $45.52 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose 45 cents, or 1 percent, to settle at $45.49 per barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 4 cents to $47.78 per barrel. It gained 22 cents, or 0.5 percent, to close at $47.74 per barrel in London. The dollar slipped to 112.95 yen from 113.18 yen. The euro rose to $1.1435 from $1.1413.
