Asian shares trade mixed, Kospi falls nearly 4% as oil prices keep swinging Asian shares trade mixed, Kospi falls nearly 4% as oil prices keep swinging Tokyo, May 19 (AP) Asian shares were mixed Tuesday as uncertainty about what will happen with the Iran war roiled global markets.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.6% in morning trading to 60,433.79, erasing initial gains after the government reported that the economy grew for the second straight quarter in January-March, mainly due to better than expected consumer spending. South Korea's Kospi sank more than 4% in early trading and was down 3.5% at 7,249.73 by midday. Shares in Samsung Electronics slipped 3.8% and SK Hynix fell 4%, tracking losses in tech shares overnight on Wall Street.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.9% to 8,582.80. Hong Kong's Hang Seng climbed 0.5% to 25,811.28, while the Shanghai Composite shed 0.3% to 4,121.11. On Monday, the S&P 500 swivelled between gains and losses before finishing with a dip of 0.1% at 7,403.05, its second loss since setting an all-time high last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% to 49,686.12, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5% to 26,090.73.

In energy trading, benchmark US crude lost USD 1.36 to USD 103.02 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, dipped USD 1.99 to USD 110.11 a barrel. Oil prices have been gyrating lately because of uncertainty over how long the Iran war will keep the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed, preventing oil tankers from delivering crude. Japan, for instance, imports just about all its oil, much of it previously through the strait.