Major Asian stock markets declined Wednesday after Wall Street gained on hopes for a global economic recovery and Japan's exports sank. The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.1% to 2,929.62 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo retreated 0.6% to 22,455.76. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.3% to 24,274.01. In Seoul, the Kospi shed 0.3% to 2,131.12 and India's Sensex opened down 0.4% at 33,474.57. Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 gained 0.4% to 5,967.60. New Zealand advanced while Singapore declined, AP reported. Benchmark U.S. crude oil for July delivery lost 90 cents to $37.48 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained $1.26 on Tuesday to settle at $38.38. Brent crude, the benchmark for international prices, shed 67 cents to $40.29 per barrel in London. It rose $1.24 the previous session to $40.96 a barrel. The dollar declined to 107.24 yen from Tuesday's 107.33 yen. The euro gained to $1.1274 from $1.1266.
