Asian markets were mixed on Thursday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 gained 0.4 percent to 21,448.52, while South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.4 percent to 2,473.05. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell 0.5 percent to 28,574.59 and the Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.5 percent to 3,364.72. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.1 percent to 5,896.10. Stocks in Singapore were higher but elsewhere in Southeast Asia, they were mixed. Benchmark U.S. crude lost 6 cents to $52.20 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 15 cents to settle at $52.26 a barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, fell 4 cents to $58.11 per barrel in London. It gained 27 cents to close at $58.15 a barrel on Wednesday. The dollar rose to 113.02 yen from 112.93 yen. The euro strengthened to $1.1813 from $1.1788.
