Asian shares mostly rose Thursday on optimism over the new U.S. administration that earlier set off a rally on Wall Street. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 0.8% to finish at 28,756.86. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.8% to 6,823.70, while South Korea's Kospi edged up 1.1% to 3,147.51. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.3% to 29,887.89, while the Shanghai Composite added 1.0% to 3,619.82, the Associated Press reported. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude gained 26 cents to $53.24 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 9 cents to $55.99 a barrel. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar slipped to 103.37 Japanese yen from 103.76 yen. The euro cost $1.2137, inching up from $1.2134.
