Asian shares were mostly lower on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 edged down 0.4% to finish at 28,608.49. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.3% to 7,354.70. South Korea's Kospi slipped 0.2% to 3,264.81. Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 0.7% to 27,760.96, while the Shanghai Composite dipped 1.1% to 3,528.80. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost 8 cents to $75.17 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It picked up $1.15 to $75.25 on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1 cent to $76.48 a barrel. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 110.43 Japanese yen from 110.61 yen. The euro cost $1.1796, up from $1.1774.
