Asian benchmarks mostly slipped Wednesday as technology shares in the region echoed a similar drop in the sector on Wall Street, the Associated Press reported. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 inched up 0.1% to finish at 29,332.16. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.3% to 7,565.80. South Korea's Kospi dropped 1.3% to 2,950.71. Hong Kong's Hang Seng shed 1.3% to 22,985.05, while the Shanghai Composite lost 1.0% to 3,596.03. In energy trading, U.S. benchmark crude fell 8 cents to $76.91 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained 91 cents to $76.99 a barrel on Tuesday. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 6 cents to $79.94 a barrel. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged down to 116.00 Japanese yen from 116.16 yen. The recent dollar's range against the yen is at a five-year high, and a cheaper yen can work as a plus for Japan's giant exporters. The euro cost $1.1299, up from $1.1286.