Update | Tencent leads rebound in Hong Kong stocks as investors await interim results
Hong Kong stocks clawed back some of last week’s losses on Monday, as Tencent led a broad rebound in blue chips, despite disappointing new Chinese economic data.
The Hang Seng Index gained 1.36 per cent, or 366.72 points, to 27,250.23 while the H-shares index added 1.27 per cent, or 134.27 points, to 10,707.24 points. Turnover stood at HK$80.02 billion.
Gains were led by high-tech, consumer and commodities companies that had been hit by losses last week.
Investors are awaiting the interim results of Chinese online giant Tencent on Wednesday. The stock advanced 4.51 per cent to HK$324.6 on Monday, the biggest contributor to gains in the Hang Seng Index.
Shares of telecom giant China Unicom surged 5.8 per cent to HK$12.02 after the company said on Friday it expects to report a 79 per cent jump in first-half net profit.
“The rebound we saw today was fuelled by tech shares,” said Louis Wong, director at Phillip Securities. “Investors are expecting some big Chinese companies results in the following two weeks. And whether the market will further stabilise also depends on the easing of political tensions.”
Mainland China stocks rebounded on Monday, with the Shanghai Composite Index up 0.90 per cent or 28.82 points to 3,237.36 while the CSI 300 — which tracks the large caps listed in Shanghai and Shenzhen — increasing 1.30 per cent or 47.33 points to 3,694.68.
The Shenzhen Composite Index tacked on 2.02 per cent or 37.17 points to 1,879.77 while the tech-heavy ChiNext rose 2.95 per cent or 51.34 points to 1,793.48.
Investors seemed unfazed by data released on Monday showing that China’s factory output slowed more than expected in July, while investment and retail sales also disappointed.
Factory output in China rose 6.4 per cent in July compared to the previous year, below the 7.2 per cent forecast. Meanwhile, fixed asset investment rose 8.3 per cent in the first seven months this year, below the 8.6 per cent forecast. Retail sales grew 10.4 per cent compared to one year ago, falling short of the 10.8 per cent rise forecast.
“Although the economic data suggested the potential for slowing growth in China, the 8.3 per cent growth in investment suggests confidence in private investment,” said Wong.
Chinese liquor maker and the world’s largest alcohol firm by value, Kweichow Moutai, regained ground lost on Friday to rise 3.3 per cent to a record-high close of 499.83 yuan on Monday. The company released its interim results last week which registered a 28 per cent year-on-year increase in net profit and a 36 per cent rise in sales.
Other major Asian stock markets gained ground. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 fell 0.98 per cent, or 192.64 points, to 19,537.10, despite Japan’s second-quarter GDP beating expectations.
Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.7 per cent to 5,730.40 and South Korea’s Kospi edged up 0.63 per cent, or 14.51 points, to 2,334.22.
In the US market last Friday, stocks recovered some ground after North Korean tensions eased. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1 per cent to 21,858.32. The S&P 500 gained 0.1 per cent to 2,441.32, and the Nasdaq Composite rebounded 0.6 per cent to 6,256.56.
