Blue chips traded moderately higher yesterday with gains by three heavyweight counters ensuring continued strength in the Hang Seng Index.
The benchmark finished just 48.44 points, or 0.27 per cent, higher at 17,758.51 on turnover of $13.73 billion.
The index maintained its recent swing through 17,500 points despite a sharp fall for the Nasdaq Composite Index on Wednesday and caution before the speech to a US Congress committee from Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan, due late yesterday.
Market sources were confident the index could go even higher in the near term.
'Cheung Kong and HSBC were strong . . . they're probably going to go through HK$100 in the next week,' Kim Eng Securities research head Stephen Brown said.
Shares in conglomerate Cheung Kong finished the day 2.85 per cent stronger at $99, with banking heavyweight HSBC up 0.51 per cent to $98.50.
'People feel that China is going to be a global investment theme and that ultimately is going to be reflected in some Hong Kong domestic stocks,' Mr Brown said.
