In Asia today, the Nikkei was recently up 220.1 points at 17,249.38, while the
Hang Seng closed the morning ahead 204.16 points at 22,740.83.
Crude oil for September delivery added as much as 5 cents at $72.20 a barrel after
closing 27 cents lower at $72.15 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.