Asian shares rose Thursday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% in early trading to 21,264.80. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.9% to 6,381.50. South Korea's Kospi gained 0.6% to 2,071.99. Hong Kong's Hang Seng was up 0.5% at 26,339.33, while the Shanghai Composite was also up 0.5% at 3,025.23. Shares were also higher in southeast Asia. Benchmark crude oil rose 66 cents to $47.44 a barrel. It fell 40 cents to settle at $46.78 a barrel. Brent crude oil, the international standard, gained 80 cents to $51.93 a barrel. The dollar fell to 107.36 Japanese yen from 107.55 yen on Wednesday. The euro edged up to $1.1141 from $1.1131.
