Shares fell in Asia on Wednesday, the AP reported. The Hang Seng index in Hong Kong fell 2.5% to 18,949.24 and the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.4% at 3,199.62. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index slipped 0.7% to 27,686.40 and the Kospi in Seoul gave up 0.4% to 2,382.81. The Shanghai Composite lost 0.4% to 3,199.62, while Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.9% to 7,229.40. Shares also fell in Mumbai and Bangkok. In other trading Wednesday, U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 1 cent to $74.26 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude oil, the international standard for pricing, gained 16 cents to $79.51 per barrel. The dollar rose to 137.55 Japanese yen from 136.94 yen. The euro slipped to $1.0457 from $1.0468.
