Asian share benchmarks rose Thursday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 advanced 0.6 percent to 20,144.59 and South Korea's Kospi gained 0.5 percent to 2,441.84. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.3 percent to 26,754.46 and the Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.2 percent to 3,238.64. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5 percent to 5,761.50. Stocks in Southeast Asia were mixed. Benchmark U.S. crude lost 3 cents to $47.29 per barrel in electronic trading on New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract finished at $47.12 a barrel on Wednesday, up 72 cents, or 1.6 percent. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, dipped 5 cents to $49.65 per barrel in London. It gained 86 cents, or 1.7 percent, to close at $49.70 per barrel in the previous session. The dollar strengthened to 112.12 yen from 111.89 yen. The euro rose slightly to $1.1519 from $1.1515.
