Asian Shares Mixed

(MENAFN - Saudi Press Agency) Tokyo, July 1, 2021, SPA -- Asian shares were mixed on Thursday as investors awaited a much watched U.S. jobs report for indications of how the recovery from the pandemic is faring. Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.4% to 28,707.04, while South Korea's Kospi lost 0.5% to 3,281.79. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.5% to 7,274.00. The Shanghai Composite gained 0.3% to 3,600.64, the Associated Press Reported. In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude rose 12 cents to $73.59 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It gained 49 cents to $73.47 on Wednesday. Brent crude, the international standard, gained 8 cents to $74.70 a barrel. In currency trading, the U.S. dollar inched up to 111.14 Japanese yen from 111.11 yen. The euro cost $1.1843, down from $1.1855. --SPA 11:30 LOCAL TIME 08:30 GMT 0009 MENAFN01072021000078011016ID1102374322