Asian shares mixed after lackluster session on Wall Street

MITO, Japan (AP) — Shares are mixed in Asia, with Australia’s benchmark down sharply on reports of a steep rise in coronavirus cases in the Melbourne area. Stocks were higher Wednesday in Tokyo, Shanghai and Seoul but fell in Hong Kong. On Wall Street, shares edged higher overnight despite a late stumble that nearly wiped out the market’s gains for the day. The S&P 500 added 0.2%, after having been up as much as 0.8% earlier. Losses in technology stocks pulled the Nasdaq in