Asian Shares Mixed

Beijing,, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jan, 2023 ) :Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday amid hopes Western economies can avoid a recession despite higher interest rates to cool inflation, the AP reported.

Hong Kong and Seoul advanced. Tokyo declined. Markets in China, India and Australia were closed for holidays.

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong rose 1.9% to 22,464.77 while the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo shed 0.1% to 27,362.75.

The Kospi in Seoul gained 1.5% to 2,465.64. New Zealand, Singapore and Jakarta advanced while Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur declined.

In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude rose 25 cents to $80.40 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract gained 2 cents on Wednesday to $80.15. Brent crude, the price basis for international oil trading, added 9 cents to $86.28 per barrel in London. It retreated 1 cent the previous session to $86.12.

The Dollar fell to 129.34 Yen from Wednesday's 129.55 yen. The euro rose to $1.0921 from $1.0913.