Asian stock markets were mostly firm on Thursday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 rose 0.8 percent to 22,210.45 and South Korea's Kospi advanced 0.5 percent to 2,531.74. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index gained 0.4 percent to 28,979.81. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2 percent to 5,943.50. But China's Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.2 percent to 3,395.46. Stocks in Southeast Asia were mostly higher. Crude oil prices eked out a tiny gain. Benchmark U.S. crude added 1 cent to $55.34 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell 37 cents, or 0.7 percent, to settle at $55.33 per barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 10 cents to $61.97 per barrel in London. It lost 34 cents, or 0.5 percent, to close at $61.87 a barrel on Wednesday. The dollar rose to 112.96 yen from 112.84 yen while the euro weakened to $1.1781 from $1.1790.
