Asian markets were mixed on Thursday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 dropped 0.8 percent to 23,827.25. South Korea's Kospi, which reopened after a national holiday, added 0.4 percent to 2,348.87. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index slipped 0.4 percent to 27,702.82. The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.5 percent to 2,793.30. Australia's S&P ASX 200 was less than 0.1 percent lower at 6,189.70. Shares fell in the Philippines but rose in Singapore and Indonesia. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 81 cents to $72.38 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped 1 percent on Wednesday to close at $71.57. Brent crude, used to price international oils, added 73 cents to $81.52 per barrel. It settled at $80.79 per barrel in London. The dollar eased to 112.62 yen from 112.73 yen. The euro fell to $1.1703 from $1.1739.
