Investing.com - Shares in Asia were mixed on Thursday as investors eyed higher crude oil prices.
The Nikkei 225 rose 0.40%. S&P/ASX 200 rose 0.09%.
The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.97%, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was last down 0.25%.
The Chinese yuan rose against the U.S. dollar Thursday
morning after the People's Bank of China set a stronger fixing for the first time in three day at 6.5552, compared with Wednesday's mid point of 6.5693.
Overnight, U.S. stocks rose sharply on Wednesday, completing one of their strongest two-day rallies since late-March, as crude futures hit fresh 6-month highs while testing a key technical level at $50 a barrel.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 145.46 or 0.82% to 17,851.51, while the NASDAQ Composite index added 33.83 or 0.70% to 4,894.89, as the major indices turned positive for the month of May. The S&P 500 Composite index, meanwhile, jumped 14.48 or 0.70% to 2,090.54, as nine of 10 sectors closed in the green.