Asian shares closed mostly lower Thursday, with sentiment across the region hurt by sharp losses on Wall Street and rising oil prices. Shares in Hong Kong closed almost flat. Investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of earnings reports from two leading property developers. The Hang Seng Index rose 8.20 points, or 0.06 percent, to 13,280.43. It had dropped 32.25 points, or 0.24 percent, on Wednesday. Weakness on Wall Street spilled over into several Asian markets, and traders were also worried after watching crude oil surge above US$48 per barrel on the New York futures market Wednesday. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 1.3 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index plunged 1.9 percent. The big Tokyo markets were closed Thursday for a national holiday and will reopen Friday. While Tokyo currency dealings were closed, the Japanese yen came under attack early Thursday in London. The U.S. dollar rose to 110.68 Japanese yen in London trading, compared to 110.52 yen late Wednesday in New York. Traders said the rally by oil prices was hurting the yen. --mor 1409 Local Time 1109 GMT
