In Asia today, the Hang Seng ended the morning up 70.21 points at 23,432.39,
while the Nikkei was recently down 44.99 points at 17,813.43.
Crude oil for September delivery was as much as 29 cents higher at $76.17 a
barrel, after closing at $75.88 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange
Wednesday.