Asian stocks advanced Wednesday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose further a day after its highest close in 21 years, adding 0.2 percent to 20,870.24. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.6 percent to 2,449.53 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.2 percent to 28,545.98. The Shanghai Composite in mainland China edged up 0.2 percent to 3,387.54. Australia's S&P/ASX 20 advanced 0.6 percent to 5,770.10. Shares in Southeast Asia were mostly higher. Oil futures extended gains. Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 12 cents to $51.04 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract added $1.34, or 2.7 percent, to settle at $50.92 a barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 5 cents to $56.66 a barrel in London. The dollar rose to 112.46 yen from 112.44 yen in late trading Tuesday. The euro slipped to $1.1804 from $1.1808 after hitting an intraday high of $1.1829 following Puigdemont's speech.
