HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks rose the most in three months to a decade-high on Tuesday, led by mainland companies listed in the city, after Beijing kicked off H-share convertibility reform.
The market was also aided by China’s stronger-than-expected factory activity, as well as strong property sales performance during the last week of 2017.
At close of trade, the Hang Seng index was up 596.16 points or 1.99 percent at 30,515.31. The Hang Seng China Enterprises index rose 3.07 percent to 12,068.99. The sub-index of the Hang Seng tracking energy shares rose 2.9 percent while the IT sector rose 2.65 percent, the financial sector was 2.42 percent higher and the property sector rose 2.16 percent.
The top gainer on the Hang Seng was Sunny Optical Technology Group Co. Ltd., up 9.61 percent, while the biggest loser was Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. which was down 3.83 percent.
China’s main Shanghai Composite index closed up 1.27 percent at 3,349.052 points while its blue-chip CSI300 index ended up 1.41 percent. Around the region, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.99 percent.
The yuan was quoted at 6.4992 per US dollar, 0.12 percent firmer than the previous close of 6.5069. The top gainers among H-shares were China Vanke Co. Ltd., up 9.94 percent, followed by Great Wall Motor Co. Ltd., gaining 7.49 percent and Anhui Conch Cement Co. Ltd., up by 5.99 percent.
The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were Air China Ltd., which was down 1.69 percent, Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co. Ltd., which fell 0.1 percent and CGN Power Co. Ltd., down by 0.9 percent.
About 2.44 billion Hang Seng index shares were traded, roughly 143.6 percent of the market’s 30-day moving average of 1.70 billion shares a day.
At close, China’s A-shares were trading at a premium of 28.83 percent over the Hong Kong-listed H-shares. The price-to-earnings ratio of the Hang Seng index was 13.64 as of the last full trading day, while the dividend yield was 2.9 percent.
The short and one-factor leveraged Hang Seng index, which is designed to replicate the payoff of a short or leveraged portfolio and is linked to the movements of the Hang Seng Index, was lower by 1.97 percent on the day at 4,836.67 points.
— Reuters
Hong Kong stocks rise the most in three months to a 10-year high
Hong Kong stocks rise the most in three months to a 10-year high
Closing Bell: Saudi main index climbs to 10,485
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index edged up on Sunday, gaining 34.32 points, or 0.33 percent, to close at 10,484.59.
The total trading turnover of the benchmark index stood at SR2.59 billion ($690 million), with 168 listed stocks advancing and 87 declining.
The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu also gained 100.37 points to close at 23,454.65.
The MSCI Tadawul Index advanced by 0.13 points to 1,377.44.
The best-performing stock on the main market was Nama Chemicals Co., whose share price increased by 9.98 percent to SR22.38.
The share price of Al Masar Al Shamil Education Co. rose by 9.15 percent to SR23.85.
Saudi Paper Manufacturing Co. also saw its stock price climb by 8.42 percent to SR57.95.
Conversely, the share price of Canadian Medical Center Co. dropped by 6.37 percent to SR6.03.
The stock price of Kingdom Holding Co. also declined by 3.16 percent to SR8.28.
In the parallel market, Alfakhera for Mens Tailoring Co. was the top performer, with its share price advancing by 16.40 percent to SR8.80.
On the announcements front, Theeb Rent a Car Co. said it had signed a long-term vehicle leasing services contract valued at SR110.4 million with Hungerstation Co.
Under the deal, Theeb will lease 2,000 vehicles to HungerStation for a period of four years starting from 2026, according to a Tadawul statement.
The statement added that the vehicles will be delivered in batches within the first six months from the contract start date, taking into consideration global logistical circumstances and procedures beyond the control of both the agents and the company.
The contract is expected to have a positive impact on the company’s financials from the first quarter of 2026.
The share price of Theeb Rent a Car Co. declined by 0.79 percent to SR37.80.
