Asian shares fell on Wednesday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.4 percent to 22,585.04, and the Kospi in South Korea fell 0.2 percent to 2,278.33. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index was almost flat at 26,417.17. The Shanghai Composite index fell 0.2 percent to 2,660.35. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed less than 0.1 percent to 6,177.50. Oil prices extended their gains on Wednesday. Benchmark U.S. crude added 68 cents to $69.93 a barrel, after surging past $70 in the morning. The contract gained 2.5 percent to $69.25 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 40 cents to $79.46 a barrel. It jumped 2.2 percent to $79.06 a barrel in London on Tuesday. The dollar fell to 111.53 yen from 111.59 yen. The euro rose to $1.1595 from $1.1586.
