Thu, July 05, 2012
HONG KONG, July 5 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong stocks closed 0.5 percent higher on Thursday. The benchmark Hang Seng index rose 99.38 points to end at 19,809.13 points, after trading between 19,588.63 and 19,869.11. Turnover totaled 40.37 billion HK dollars (about 5.21 billion U.S. dollars).
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 18.44 points, or 0. 19 percent, to close at 9,702.91.
Four sub-indices all gained ground, with the Properties sub- index rising the most by 1.39 percent, followed by the Utility 0. 69 percent, the Commerce and Industry 0.44 percent and the Finance 0.37 percent.
Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, rose 0.5 percent to close at 68.95 HK dollars, while its local unit Hang Seng Bank ended 0.3 percent higher at 106.80 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong's major bank, closed up 2.9 percent to 28.70 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX decreased 0.2 percent to 110.10 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, slid 0.2 percent to 5.29 HK dollars. ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, rose 0. 2 percent at 4.29 HK dollars. Bank of China dropped 1.0 percent to 2.91 HK dollars. Bank of Communications, China's fifth biggest lender measured by assets, gained 1.0 percent at 5.24 HK dollars.
Local developers Hang Lung Properties rose 1.8 percent to 27.95 HK dollars. Henderson Land, another major developer in Hong Kong, gained 2.6 percent to 45.05 HK dollars, and Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, advanced 1.4 percent to 99.40 HK dollars.
As for energy stocks, China's top refiner Sinopec was up 0.4 percent to 6.73 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, moved up 0.8 percent to 9.93 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.75 HK dollars)
