Asian stock markets declined Thursday, AP reported. The Shanghai Composite Index shed 0.3 percent to 3,328.63 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng plunged 1.3 percent to 29,245.91. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 edged up 20 points to 22,616.91 while Seoul's Kospi lost 0.7 percent to 2,494.25. India's Sensex shed 0.8 percent to 33,345.69 and Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 retreated 0.6 percent to 5,976.50. Benchmarks in New Zealand and Malaysia rose while markets in Southeast Asia declined. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 15 cents to $57.46 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 69 cents on Wednesday to $57.30. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 27 cents to $62.80 in London. It lost 71 cents the previous session to $62.53. The dollar strengthened to 111.98 yen from 111.90 yen. The euro gained to $1.1870 from $1.1847.
