Asian shares were mixed Wednesday as market players waffled between hopes for recovery as economies gradually reopen and worries over the havoc wreaked by the pandemic.
Asian Shares
- Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose nearly 0.9% in morning trading to 20,606.92 on expectations that a state of emergency still in effect for Tokyo and seven other cities and prefectures may soon end.
- South Korea’s Kospi gained 0.3% to 1,986.24.
- Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.2% to 5,548.60.
- Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.2% to 24,328.95.
- The Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 2,892.49.
Oil Prices
- Benchmark U.S. crude oil fell 4 cents to $31.92 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained 31 cents to $31.96 a barrel on Tuesday.
- Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 8 cents to to $34.73 a barrel.
Currency Markets
- The U.S. dollar cost 107.83 Japanese yen, up slightly from 107.71 yen on Tuesday.
- The euro rose to $1.0942 from $1.0926.
