Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday, AP reported. The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.3% to 3,381.35 while the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo lost 0.3% to 22,516.10. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose 0.6% to 25,088.36. The S&P-ASX 200 in Sydney fell 0.5% to 6,006.60 while Seoul's Kospi gained 1.1% to 2,304.97. India's Sensex opened up 1% at 38,055.80. New Zealand and Bangkok retreated while Singapore and Jakarta gained. In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude lost 11 cents to $41.59 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose 69 cents on Tuesday to settle at $41.70 per barrel. Brent crude, the basis for pricing international oils, shed 6 cents to $44.37 per barrel in London. It gained 28 cents the previous session to $44.43. The dollar declined to 105.58 Japanese yen from Tuesday's 105.72 yen. The euro gained to $1.1818 from $1.1805.
