Asian stocks mixed as Europe debt worries ease

TOKYO (AP) - Asian stock markets were mixed Friday but losses were limited on receding worries over Europe's debt crisis after Spain - one of the region's heavily indebted nations - successfully sold bonds. European shares gained.

Investors have been concerned that European nations would have trouble raising money due to worries about defaults but Spain's bond offering, which drew solid demand, was a fillip for markets.

Oil prices, meanwhile, hovered below $77 a barrel. The euro, lifted by Spain's bond sale, was higher against the dollar.

In early European trading, benchmarks in France, Germany and Britain were up 0.4 percent or more. Futures augured a mixed session on Wall Street with Dow futures off 0.7 percent but S&P futures up 0.2 percent.

Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 stock index edged down 4.38 points, or less than 0.1 percent, to 9,995.02 and China's Shanghai Composite Index shed 1.8 percent to 2,513.22 ahead of Agricultural Bank of China's record-breaking initial public offering. Taiwan's index dropped 0.3 percent.

Elsewhere, South Korea's Kospi rose 0.2 percent to 1,711.95 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5 percent to 4,551.90. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added 0.7 percent to 20,286.71.

In New York Thursday, the Dow Jones industrial average edged up 24.71 points, or 0.2 percent, to 10,434.17 as easing worries over Europe's fiscal crisis offset disappointing U.S. economic data.

In currencies, the dollar fell to 90.75 yen from 90.92 yen in New York late Thursday. The euro rose to $1.2394 from $1.2378 after earlier trading just under $1.2400 - the highest in three weeks.

Benchmark crude for July delivery was down 36 cents at $76.43 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.