Asian stock markets traded mixed on Wednesday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 0.4 percent to 22,408.88 and South Korea's Kospi retreated 0.2 percent to 2,443.98. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index added 0.1 percent to 30,445.07 while the Shanghai Composite Index dipped 0.1 percent to 3,159.15. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3 percent to 6,108.00. Stocks rose in Singapore and Indonesia but fell in Thailand and the Philippines. Benchmark U.S. crude oil jumped $1.90, or 2.7 percent, to $70.96 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, which is used to price international oils, gained $2.12, or 2.8 percent, to $76.97 per barrel in London. The dollar rose to 109.73 yen from 109.13 yen while the euro fell to $1.1832 from $1.1864.
