Asian stock markets edge higher after Wall Street gain

Asian shares rose slightly on Wednesday after Wall Street gained on strength in technology and retailing shares.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 rose 0.4 per cent to 22,914.69 and Hong Kong's Hang Seng advanced 0.2 per cent to 28,415.23. The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.3 per cent to 2,768.23.

Seoul's Kospi gained 0.2 per cent to 2,308.43. Sydney's S&P-ASX 200 advanced 0.4 per cent to 6,330.20 and India's Sensex added 14 points to 38,906.93.

Benchmarks in Taiwan and New Zealand gained while Bangkok and Jakarta declined, reports AP.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index closed at a new record. The S&P 500 rose less than 0.1 per cent to 2,897.52. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1 per cent to 26,064.02.

The Nasdaq composite gained 12.14 points, or 0.2 per cent, to 8,030.04. Energy companies dipped along with oil prices.

Benchmark US crude added 4 cents to $68.57 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract sank 34 cents on Tuesday to close at $68.53.

Brent crude, used to price international oils, gained 2 cents to $76.31 in London. It shed 21 cents the previous session to $76.29.

The dollar gained to 111.29 yen from Tuesday's 111.19. The euro advanced to $1.1692 from $1.1696.