Asian markets were mixed Thursday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 index, which closed up 1.1 percent on Wednesday, retreated 1.3 percent to 20,157.72. The Kospi in South Korea dropped 0.1 percent to 2,063.15. Hong Kong's Hang Seng recovered to edge 0.1 percent higher, to 26,492.61, while the Shanghai Composite index was flat at 2,545.37. Australia's S&P ASX 200 rebounded to gain 0.3 percent to 5,795.30. Shares rose in Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. Oil prices dropped 63 cents to $51.72 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It surged 5.2 percent to $52.36 per barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude, used to price international oils, gave up 62 cents to $60.82 per barrel. It climbed 4.6 percent to $61.44 a barrel in London. The dollar strengthened to 107.92 yen from 108.15 yen late Wednesday. The euro rose to $1.1559 from $1.1543.
