Asian shares advanced Thursday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 0.4 percent to finish at 20,954.72. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.4 percent to 5,794.50. South Korea's Kospi rose 0.6 percent to 2,473.34. Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.3 percent to 28,475.79, while the Shanghai Composite dipped 0.1 percent to 3,383.55. Benchmark U.S. crude oil lost 31 cents to $50.99 a barrel. It rose 38 cents to $51.30 a barrel overnight in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 35 cents to $56.59 a barrel in London. The dollar was unchanged at 112.26 yen. The euro rose to $1.1870 from $1.1819.
