Asia stock markets mixed after Wall St high, virus surge

Asian stock markets are mixed after Wall Street hit a high and new daily U.S. coronavirus cases surged to a record

BEIJING -- Asian stock markets were mixed Thursday after Wall Street hit a high and new daily U.S. coronavirus cases surged to a record.

Tokyo and Seoul declined while Shanghai and Hong Kong advanced.

Wall Street gained Wednesday for its 70th record high of 2021.

Optimism was tempered by data showing new U.S. virus cases have risen to an average of 265,000 per day, driven largely by the more contagious omicron variant.