Asian shares were mostly higher on Monday, AP reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 added 1.4% to 23,303.42 in morning trading, while South Korea's Kospi gained nearly 0.9% to 2,287.17. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.4% to 5,952.40. Hong Kong's Hang Seng edged up 0.7% to 24,277.75, while the Shanghai Composite inched down less than 0.1% to 3,221.78. In energy trading on Monday, benchmark U.S. crude slipped $1.33 to $34.46 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost 38 cents to $35.79 per barrel on Friday. Brent crude, the international standard, fell $1.30 to $46.64 a barrel. The U.S. dollar was unchanged at 104.66 Japanese yen. The euro cost $1.1645, down slightly from $1.1648.
