Asian shares were mostly higher Thursday, AP reported. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 jumped 1.1 percent to 21,890.86 but the benchmark was still nearly 4 percent below where it started the year. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.5 percent to 2,407.62. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index rose 0.4 percent to 30,447.32, while the Shanghai Composite index sank 1.4 percent to 3,262.00. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.2 percent to 5,890.70. Stocks in Southeast Asian markets were mixed. Oil prices have seen extended losses since the U.S. government said last week that oil production had jumped. Benchmark U.S. crude lost 16 cents to $61.63 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped $1.60, or 2.5 percent, to finish at $61.79 a barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude, the international standard for oil prices, dropped 5 cents to $65.46 per barrel in London. It sank $1.35, or 2 percent, to finish at $65.51 a barrel in the previous session. The dollar strengthened to 109.77 yen from 109.36 yen. The euro rose to $1.2265 from $1.2261.
