Asian stock markets were mixed Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. Shanghai and Hong Kong declined. Tokyo and Seoul advanced. Oil prices rose to stay above $110 per barrel. The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.4% to 3,082.12 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong sank 0.6% to 20,471.54. The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo gained 0.6% to 26,824.46 after the government reported economic output shrank 0.2% in the first three months of 2022. That was stronger than expectations. The Kospi in Seoul gained 0.2% to 2,624.64 and Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 advanced 0.9% to 7,187.10. India's Sensex opened up 0.5% at 54,590.12. Bangkok declined while New Zealand and other Southeast Asian markets rose. In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude rose 66 cents to $113.05 in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.80 on Tuesday to $112.40. Brent crude, the price basis for international oil trading, added 17 cents to $112.10 per barrel in London. It lost $2.31 the previous session to $111.93. The dollar declined to 129.11 yen from Tuesday's 129.42 yen. The euro sank to $1.0536 from $1.0543.
