Hong Kong stocks closed 0.44 percent higher on Monday, led by the Chinese mainland banks and property companies, ahead of a slew of economic data out of the U. S. and China this week as well as the start of the U.S. earnings season.
The benchmark（基准） Hang Seng Index rose 88.77 points, or 0.44 percent, to 20,467.43 after trading between 20,368.62 and 20,539. 61. Market volume totaled 54.30 billion HK dollars (6.99 billion U. S. dollars).
Financial institutions（金融机构） in the mainland extended 603.4 billion yuan worth of new loans in June, central bank data showed Sunday, bringing the first-half total to 62 percent of the government's annual target.
China Construction Bank rose 2.4 percent to 6.48 HK dollars Monday and ICBC gained 1.9 percent to 5.83 HK dollars.
Property prices in 70 of the mainland's large and medium-sized cities rose 11.4 percent in June from a year earlier, slowing from May's 12.4 percent rise, the National Bureau of Statistics said today.
The Chinese mainland developer China Overseas Land was Monday's biggest blue-chip gainer, rising 4.4 percent to 16.08 HK dollars, and China Resources Land added 2.2 percent to 15.86 HK dollars.
China insurers, however, fell sharply, weighed by concerns about intensifying competition after China's insurance regulator said Sunday it planned to remove the guaranteed annual return limit of 2.5 percent on traditional life insurance products, with the aim of improving investor protection and the sector's development.
China Life tumbled 3.7 percent to 33.95 HK dollars, China Pacific Insurance plunged 5.2 percent to 29.85 HK dollars and China Taiping Insurance slid 5.6 percent to 25.40 HK dollars.
Telecom services provider China Unicom rose 1.8 percent to 10. 38 HK dollars, after a new version of Apple's iPhone with Wi-Fi capability received a Chinese network access license last week.
New listing Chiho-Tiande ended at 2.39 HK dollars, 1.6 percent below its 2.43 HK dollars offer price following a weak response to its initial public offering. The retail tranche of the mixed metal scrap recycler's IPO was oversubscribed 0.19 times, and the offer price was set at the bottom of the indicative price range of 2.43 HK dollars to 3.13 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.785 HK dollars)(本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑) |