Asian shares mostly gain after mixed session on Wall Street

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

Asian shares are mostly higher after a day of mixed results on Wall Street. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index fell 0.4% after the release of disappointing factory and retail sales data. Shares also fell in Hong Kong but other benchmarks advanced. On Wednesday, the S&P 500 held on to a gain of just 0.2% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.3% but the Nasdaq gave back 0.2%. Treasury yields stabilized, a welcome sign for investors who had been spooked by a sharp increase in yields over the previous week. The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note, which is used to set interest rates on many kinds of loans, slipped to 1.51% early Thursday.