Hong Kong stocks ended lower on Wednesday with the smallest turnover in three year, after a report showed the falling of U.S. housing prices.
The benchmark Hang Seng index closed down 110.5 points, or 0.59 percent, to end at 18,518.67 points, after trading between a day low of 18,461.97 and a day high of 18,621.5 points.
Turnover totaled 27.895 billion HK dollars (about 3.588 billion U.S. dollars), 0.7 percent lower than the last trading day.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 152.15 points, or 1.5 percent, to close at 9,980.51.
All the four sub-indices lost ground. The Finance sub-index fell the most of 1.21 percent, followed by the Utilities and the Commerce & Industry of 0.07 percent. The Properties lost 0.05 percent.
Most blue chips fell during the trading day. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, fell 1 percent to close at 59.2 HK dollars, and its local unit Hang Seng Bank moved down 0.48 percent to 92.65 HK dollars. Local bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing fell 0.9 percent to 125.2 HK dollars.
Mainland-based financial stocks also hurt. China Construction Bank, the country's second largest bank which accounts for the third largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, fell 0.91 percent to 5.47 HK dollars.
China's second largest insurer Ping An lost 1.54 percent at 51.15 HK dollars, and China Life, one of the world's largest life insurers by market value, moved down 0.83 percent to 19.12 HK dollars.
As for Hong Kong developers, Hang Lung Properties lost 1.54 percent to 22.4 HK dollars. Henderson Land, another major developer in Hong Kong, rose 0.67 percent to 37.55 HK dollars, and Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, went up 0.48 percent to 93.4 HK dollars.
China's top refiner Sinopec fell 0.72 percent to 8.25 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, gained 0.72 percent to 9.76 HK dollars.
Li & Fung, a Hong Kong headquartered multinational group specialized in consumer goods design, development, sourcing and distribution, was the best performing blue chip in the day, with its shares rising 2.095 percent to 14.62 HK dollars.
ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, was the worst performing blue chip in the day, with its shares falling 3.29 percent to 4.7 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.775 HK dollars)
Source:xinhuanet