Opinion | Start of New Year marked by heavy director activity

Director activity was high at the start of the New Year, based on filings on the stock exchange from January 5 to 9. A total of 41 companies recorded 238 purchases worth HK$784 million, against 18 firms with 44 disposals worth HK$220 million.

The number of companies on the buying side was not far off the previous week's four-day total of 49 firms while the purchases and value were up from the 217 acquisitions worth HK$356 million previously.

Sales, on the other hand, were sharply up from 11 companies, 37 disposals and HK$156 million.

The huge buy value last week was due to purchases by executive director Adam Kwok Kai-fai in developer Sun Hung Kai Properties, with 1.45 million shares worth HK$171 million from December 30 to January 5 at an average of HK$117.91 per share.

The trades, which accounted for 13 per cent of the blue chip's trading volume, increased Kwok's holdings to 621.23 million shares or 22 per cent of the issued capital.

Kwok previously acquired 3.06 million shares in March last year at an average of HK$92.52 each, 6.45 million shares in January at HK$96.38 each and 67,000 shares in November 2013 at HK$96.48 each.