Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 was nearly unchanged at 21,340.36 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.1 percent to 5,894.40. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.2 percent to 2,480.35. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was flat at 28,698.50, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.3 percent to 3,381.27. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 24 cents to $52.12 a barrel. It gained a penny to settle at $51.88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange overnight. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rose 34 cents to $58.22 a barrel in London. The dollar inched up to 112.22 yen from 112.20 yen. The euro strengthened to $1.1770 from $1.1766.
