Asian shares were mixed in holiday-thinned trading on Wednesday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 index gave up early gains, slipping 0.1 percent to 20,598.39 while Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.7 percent to 28,370.43. Both indexes were at two-year highs. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.9 percent to 5,652.10 and Southeast Asian indexes were mixed. Stock markets were closed in mainland China and South Korea for holidays. Oil futures fell further. Benchmark U.S. crude lost 32 cents to $50.10 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dipped 16 cents to settle at $50.42 per barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, fell 26 cents to $55.74 per barrel. The dollar slipped to 112.56 Japanese yen from 112.86 yen late Tuesday. The euro rose to $1.1766 from $1.1745.
