PRESS DIGEST - Top stories in Hong Kong and mainland China newspapers on April 8

These are the leading stories in Hong Kong and mainland Chinese newspapers and websites on Wednesday. The South China Morning Post has not verified these stories.

Two Hong Kong Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) listed on mainland stock exchanges were suspended from trading on Tuesday because they had risen sharply, including the ChinaAMC Hang Seng Index ETF, which saw trading volumes 50 times larger than two weeks ago. Some analysts believe that because mainland funds can buy Hong Kong shares through the Shanghai-Hong Kong stocks through train, the rise of ETFs reflects expectations of hot money flowing from the mainland to Hong Kong capital markets, which is expected to cause a big rise in Hong Kong shares on Wednesday. (Ming Pao)

China Construction Bank has decided not to build any new branches on the mainland or add new staff, and instead may even close some non-performing branches due to the impact of online banking. China Construction Bank vice-president Yang Wensheng said online banking through channels such as mobile phones and the internet accounted for 88 per cent of the bank’s business. (Hong Kong Economic Journal)