Asian Shares Mixed

Asian shares rose Tuesday, although optimism set off by a rally on Wall Street was dampened by concerns over the potential impact of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, the Associated Press reported.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 jumped 1.4% to finish at 29,069.16. South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.5% to 3,015.63. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng recouped early losses to edge up 0.2% to 23,269.36, while the Shanghai Composite gained 0.4% to 3,628.77. Trading was closed in Australia for Boxing Day.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude added 34 cents to $75.91 from $75.57 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained $1.78 on Monday to $75.57 per barrel.

Brent crude, the international standard, rose 13 cents to $78.73 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar was unchanged at $114.87. The euro cost $1.1328, inching up from $1.1327.