HONG KONG, (PNA/Xinhua) — Hong Kong stocks closed slightly higher on Friday, with the benchmark Hang Seng index rising 23.25 points, or 0.1 percent, to end at 22,621.22 points after trading between 22,578.33 and 22,699.59.
Turnover totaled 57.90 billion HK dollars (about 7.46 billion U. S. dollars).
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 4.82 points, or 0.05 percent, to close at 10,334.07.
Two sub-indices gained ground, with the Finance sub-index rising by 0.21 percent and the Commerce and Industry up 0.20 percent. The Utility fell 0.72 percent, while the Properties lost 0.35 percent.
Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, rose 1.1 percent to 86.35 HK dollars, while its local unit Hang Seng Bank fell 0.3 percent at 124.70 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong’s major bank, closed flat at 31.55 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX lost 0.3 percent to 125.90 HK dollars.
Local developers Hang Lung Properties was down 0.9 percent at 25.45 HK dollars. Henderson Land, another major developer in Hong Kong, dipped 0.2 percent to 47.20 HK dollars, and Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, climbed 0.4 percent to 113.50 HK dollars.
As for mainland-based financial stocks, China Construction Bank, the country’s second largest bank which accounts for the third largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, added 0.3 percent to 5.95 HK dollars. ICBC, the world’s largest bank by market value, slid 0.2 percent at 5.28 HK dollars. Bank of China closed flat at 3.45 HK dollars. Bank of Communications, China’s fifth biggest lender measured by assets, was down 0.4 percent to 5.49 HK dollars.
PetroChina, the country’s largest oil and gas producer, closed flat at 8.70 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.761 HK dollars)