Asian stock markets rebounded Thursday the Associated Press reported. Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney advanced even as Russian forces whose attack on Ukraine has roiled financial markets bombarded the The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo rose 0.8% to 26,605.94 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong gained 0.5% to 22,453.50. The Shanghai Composite Index advanced 0.1% to 3,487.54. The Kospi in Seoul added 1.5% to 2,743.37 and Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 was 0.7% higher at 7,164.00. India's Sensex opened up less than 0.1% at 55,500.49. New Zealand and Southeast Asian markets also advanced. In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude rose another $2.68 to $113.28 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, the price basis for international oils, added $3.61 to $116.54 per barrel in London. In currency markets, Russia's ruble gained 3.4% against the U.S. dollar but still was near a record low value of less than 1 cent. It has fallen nearly 25% since the attack after Western governments imposed sanctions that cut off much of Russia's access to the global financial system. The dollar gained to 115.67 yen from Wednesday's 115.58 yen. The euro declined to $1.1101 from $1.1126.
