Asian stocks mixed after West vows more Russia sanctions

By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets are mixed after Western governments promised new sanctions on Russia. Shanghai and Hong Kong declined while Tokyo was little changed. Oil prices stayed above $110 per barrel. Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index rose 1.4% after the number of Americans applying for unemployment fell to a 52-year low. Western leaders promised more sanctions but gave no details. President Vladimir Putin tried to prop up Moscow’s sinking ruble by threatening to require Europe to use it to pay for gas exports. European leaders rejected the possibility, potentially setting up a clash over energy supplies.