Asian shares were little changed on Thursday, with trading becalmed by public holidays in Shanghai, Hong Kong and South Korea.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index edged 0.1 per cent lower to 20,616.75. Australia’s S&P ASX 200 was unchanged at 5,651.80. Shares in Taiwan and Southeast Asia were mostly higher, reports AP.
US stocks inched a bit further into record territory Wednesday after teeter-tottering through the day. The S&P 500 index rose 0.1 per cent to 2,537.74.
Dow Jones industrial average also gained 0.1 per cent, to 22,661.64. The Nasdaq composite picked up less than 0.1 per cent, to 6,534.63. All three indexes added to records set a day earlier.
Benchmark US crude fell 4 cents to $49.94 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It lost 49 cents to $49.98 on Wednesday.
Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, gained 3 cents to $55.83 per barrel.
The dollar slipped to 112.73 yen, little changed from its 112.75 yen level late Wednesday. The euro edged lower to $1.1758 from $1.1760 and the British pound fell to $1.3241 from $1.3245.