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Hong Kong stocks extend rally to two weeks on Tencent, Alibaba gains as China pledges steady growth with reopening push

  • Premier Li Keqiang says China is aiming for steady growth next year amid measures to reopen the economy
  • Daily Covid-19 cases have eased to about 21,000 nationwide, from all-time high of more than 40,000 last month

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Bull sculptures outside the Exchange Square in Central, Hong Kong. Photo: Matt Miller
Hong Kong stocks advanced, chalking up a second week of gains, after China vowed to achieve steady economic growth next year following measures to ease its zero-Covid regiment. A report on slower inflation was also seen aiding policy easing momentum.
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The Hang Seng Index rose 2.3 per cent to 19,900.87 at the close of Friday trading, adding to a 3.4 per cent rally on Thursday and rising by 6.6 per cent for the week. The Tech Index climbed 2.3 per cent on Friday, while the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.3 per cent.

Tencent Holdings gained 2.6 per cent to HK$325.60, Alibaba Group gained 2.7 per cent to HK$91.85, and Meituan jumped 5.7 per cent to HK$188.50. Developer Country Garden surged 8.5 per cent to HK$3.06, Sun Hung Kai rose 4.3 per cent to HK$102.50 and New World Development gained 6.7 per cent to HK$22.25. China’s Tesla challengers Nio and Xpeng added 3.7 to 4 per cent.

Premier Li Keqiang pledged to achieve steady growth in 2023, after meeting the heads of the World Bank, World Trade Organization and International Monetary Fund on Thursday. “China has stabilised employment, price levels and also kept growth in a reasonable range,” state broadcaster CCTV cited Li as saying.

“Sentiment continued to recover over the latest Covid policy,” analysts at Morgan Stanley including Laura Wang said in a note on Friday. “With a set reopening path, we believe Chinese equities will outperform global markets.”

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The Hang Seng Index’s 6.6 per cent rally over the past five days adds to a 6.3 per cent gain in the preceding week, helping the broader Hong Kong stock market recoup more than US$1 trillion of value since the benchmark recovered from its October low on China reopening bets.

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