Asian shares were higher Monday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 0.8% to 23,292.81, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3% to 6,731.40. South Korea's Kospi gained 1.0% to 2,123.50. Hong Kong's Hang Seng jumped 1.6% to 27,035.20, while the Shanghai Composite advanced 0.6% to 2,903.44. Shares rose in Singapore and Bangkok. India's Sensex climbed 0.9% to 40,724.83. Benchmark crude added 22 cents to $57.99 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It fell 81 cents to $57.77 a barrel on Friday. Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 25 cents to $62.62 a barrel. The dollar strengthened to 108.84 Japanese yen from 108.64 yen on Friday. The euro rose to $1.1026 from $1.1022.
