Shares were mixed in Asia on Wednesday, AP reported. Japan's Nikkei 225 advanced 0.3% to 23,437.77 while the S&P ASX 200 in Australia climbed 0.9% to 6,850.60. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.3% to 2,127.85. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong was almost unchanged at 26,916.84. The Shanghai Composite index lost 0.2% to 2,900.47. Shares fell in Malaysia but rose in Southeast Asia. In energy trading, benchmark crude oil lost 19 cents to $58.22 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It rose 40 cents to settle at $58.41 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, lost 18 cents to $63.03 per barrel. The dollar rose to 109.13 Japanese yen from 109.03 yen on Tuesday. The euro slipped to $1.1017 from $1.1021.
