Hong Kong stocks slip on caution ahead of earnings, economic data

China Resources Gas

20/04/2020 09:46

* HK->Shanghai Connect daily quota used 0.1%, Shanghai->HK
daily
quota used 5%
    * HSI -0.2%, HSCE +0.1%, CSI300 +0.4%
    * FTSE China A50 +0.3%

    April 20 (Reuters) - Hong Kong stocks ended lower on Monday,
tracking other Asian markets, amid expectations that a busy week
of corporate earnings reports and economic data would drive home
the damage done by the global coronavirus-led lockdowns. 
    ** At the close of trade, the Hang Seng index  .HSI  was
down 49.98 points, or 0.21%, at 24,330.02. The Hang Seng China
Enterprises index  .HSCE  rose 0.09% to 9,824.42.
    ** The sub-index of the Hang Seng tracking energy shares
 .HSCIE  rose 0.7%, while the IT sector  .HSCIIT  dipped 0.13%,
the financial sector  .HSNF  ended 0.05% lower and the property
sector dipped 1.2%.
    ** The top gainer on the Hang Seng was Sino
Biopharmaceutical Ltd  1177.HK , which gained 2.95%, while the
biggest loser was Sun Hung Kai Properties Ltd  0016.HK , which
fell 2.94%. 
    ** Hong Kong companies will start to publish their results
for the first quarter, with most of them expected to record
relatively big losses, which could dampen the market sentiment,
analysts at Guodu Hong Kong said in report. 
    ** China cut its benchmark lending rate as expected on
Monday to reduce borrowing costs for companies and prop up the
coronavirus-hit economy, after it contracted for the first time
in decades.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2C80RP 
    ** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index
 .MIAPJ0000PUS  was weaker by 0.59%, while Japan's Nikkei index
 .N225  closed down 1.15%.
    ** The yuan  CNY=CFXS  was quoted at 7.0755 per U.S. dollar
at 0826 GMT, 0.04% weaker than the previous close of 7.0725.
    ** At close, China's A-shares were trading at a premium of
27.01% over Hong Kong-listed H-shares.

 (Reporting by the Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
 ((luoyan.liu@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging:
luoyan.liu.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))