Asian stock markets fell, AP reported. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index sank 1.03% to 23,141.68 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng gave up 1.2% to 26,077.77. The Shanghai Composite Index retreated 0.3% to 2,874.88 and Seoul's Kospi declined 0.8% to 2,060.81. Australia's S&P-ASX 200 fell 1.4% to 6,621.40 and benchmarks in New Zealand and Southeast Asia retreated. India's Sensex bucked the trend, opening up 0.1% to 40,724.00. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 42 cents to $56.52 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 14 cents on Tuesday to close at $56.10. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rose 49 cents to $61.31 per barrel in London. It lost 10 cents the previous session to $60.82. The dollar declined to 108.58 yen from Tuesday's 108.63 yen. The euro edged down to $1.1077 from $1.1084.
