Asian shares mixed after S&P 500 touches all-time high

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were mixed Wednesday, as some markets were cheered by bullish sentiments on Wall Street despite concerns about an ongoing trade dispute with China.

KEEPING SCORE: Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 0.3 percent in morning trading to 22,279.89. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.5 percent to 6,252.80. South Korea's Kospi was up 0.3 percent at 2,276.87. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped 0.5 percent to 27,626.06, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.6 percent to 2,718.71, erasing some of the gains from the previous day.

TRADE TENSIONS: Stocks have been buffeted by concerns about mounting trade tensions in recent months between the U.S. and China, set off by President Donald Trump's tariff policies. Signs of potential progress have helped stocks rally in recent weeks.

BULL MARKET: The S&P 500 index briefly traded at an all-time high Tuesday just as the U.S. stock market's bull run came closer to becoming the longest on record. The current bull market, which began in 2009, is on track to become the longest in history on Wednesday, surpassing the bull run of the 1990s.

WALL STREET: The S&P 500 rose 5.91 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,862.96. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 63.60 points, or 0.2 percent, to 25,822.29. The Nasdaq composite added 38.17 points, or 0.5 percent, to 7,859.17. The Russell 2000 picked up 19.35 points, or 1.1 percent, to 1,718.05. Its last all-time high was set June 20.

ENERGY: U.S. benchmark crude rose 20 cents to $66.04 per barrel in New York. Brent crude, the standard for international oil prices, gained 11 cents to $72.74 per barrel in London.

CURRENCIES: The dollar inched down to 110.16 yen from 110.19 yen late Tuesday. The euro strengthened to $1.1576 from $1.1533.

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