Asian Shares Mixed Wednesday

Asian shares were mixed on Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.4% to finish at 27,011.33. South Korea’s Kospi edged down 0.4% to 2,709.24. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng was little changed, gaining less than 0.1% to 24,244.27, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.6% to 3,453.34. Australian markets were closed for a holiday.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude lost 8 cents to $85.52 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It jumped $2.29 to $85.60 a barrel on Tuesday.

Brent crude, the basis for pricing international oil, picked up 8 cents to $87.26 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar inched up to 113.96 Japanese yen from 113.90 yen. The euro cost $1.1293, down from $1.1300.