Share prices were mostly lower in Asia on Wednesday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 index lost 0.3 percent to 23,788.20 and the Kospi in South Korea lost 0.3 percent to 2,501.72. Australia's S&P ASX 200 slipped 0.6 percent to 6,096.70. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong climbed 0.3 percent, shedding some morning gains, to 31,097.41 and the Shanghai Composite index lost 0.3 percent to 3,405.44. Shares were mixed in Southeast Asia. The dollar fell to 112.31 Japanese yen from 112.65 yen late Tuesday. The euro slipped to $1.1931 from $1.1938, and the British pound dipped to $1.3520 from $1.3540. Benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 49 cents to $63.45 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It jumped $1.23 to settle at $62.96 per barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, added 34 cents to $69.16 per barrel. It rose $1.04 to settle at $68.82 per barrel in London.
