Shares fell in Asia on Thursday after a sharp retreat overnight on Wall Street as new coronavirus cases in the U.S. climbed to their highest level in two months, dimming investors' hopes for a relatively quick economic turnaround. Markets in Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed for holidays. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 slipped 1.0% to 22,205.00 and the Kospi in Seoul lost 1.8% to 2,122.54. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 sank 1.1%, AP reported. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude oil fell 27 cents to $37.74 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It slid 5.8% to settle at $38.01 a barrel on Wednesday. Brent crude, the international standard, gave up 33 cents to $40.20 per barrel. It fell 5.4% to close at $40.31. In currency dealings, the dollar bought 107.16 Japanese yen, rising from 107.05 yen. The euro slipped to $1.1248 from $1.1252.
