China stocks mixed as tech shares fall; Z.AI tumble on discounted share placement

Z.AI

14/09/2026 05:38

HONG KONG, Sept 14 (Reuters) - China stocks were mixed while Hong Kong shares edged higher on Monday, as weakness in AI and semiconductor stocks offset gains in defensive sectors, with investors remaining cautious ahead of key global central-bank decisions.       
** At the midday break, the Shanghai Composite index .SSEC was up 0.2% at 3,894.28 points, while the blue-chip CSI300 index .CSI300 was down 0.3%.
** Tech shares led declines, with the start-up board ChiNext Composite index .CNT weaker by 0.5% and Shanghai's tech-focused STAR50 index .STAR50 down 0.9%. 
** The CSI AI Index .CSI930713 declined 1.2% and the CSI Semiconductor Index .CSI931865 weakened 0.7%. 
** Defensive sectors inched higher, offsetting some losses, with the banking sector .CSI399986 gaining 0.5%.
** In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index .HSI added 0.4% and the Hang Seng Tech Index .HSTECH added 0.2%. 
** However, the Hang Seng AI Index .HSAIT dipped 2.4%, with shares of Z.AI 2513.HK sliding as much as 10.5% to the lowest level in five months after a discounted share placement. Peer Minimax 0100.HK dropped 5.6% by noon trading break. 
** "Looking ahead, with little change in the outlook for growth or stock-market liquidity while the global backdrop remains complex, investors are backing away from the risk-taking approach and are likely to demand clearer evidence of fundamental improvement," analysts at Guotai Haitong Securities said in a note, adding that the markets are likely to stay range-bound going forward. 
** Around the region, Asian share markets slid in Asia on Monday as supply concerns caused oil prices to spike anew, while investors braced for possible interest rate hikes in both the United States and Japan this week. 

(Reporting by Jiaxing Li in Hong Kong; Editing by Rashmi Aich)
((jiaxing.li@thomsonreuters.com))