Asian stock markets are mixed Thursday, AP reported. The Shanghai Composite Index dropped 0.2% to 2,876.08 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.7% to 26,095.95. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 edged up 0.1 % to 20,647.87 and Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 rose 0.3% to 6,505.90. Seoul's Kospi was 0.6% lower at 1,953.39. New Zealand was up while Southeast Asian markets declined. Benchmark U.S. crude gained 2 cents to $55.70 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract lost 45 cents on Wednesday to close at $55.68. Brent crude, used to price international oils, declined 4 cents to $60.26 in London. It gained 27 cents the previous session to $60.30. The dollar dropped to 106.40 yen from Wednesday's 106.62 yen. The euro rose to $1.1089 from $1.1086.
