China stocks gain on fresh stimulus measures; property, tech drag HK lower
China stocks rose on Monday, buoyed by fresh government policies to boost investor confidence but technology and property sector shares dragged the Hong market lower.
** China’s bluechip CSI300 Index rose 0.3% by the lunch break, while the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.6%. In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 1.7%, on track for their fourth straight session of declines. ** China’s financial regulator on Sunday reduced the risk weighting it attaches to insurance companies’ holdings of blue-chip shares and tech stocks.
** “This strategic modulation in risk factors signifies an expanded gateway for insurance companies to channel more resources into the capital market,” OCBC Bank analyst Tommy Xie wrote. ** From Monday, investors are allowed to borrow more money from brokerages to buy stocks using the same amount of collateral, with the move expected to inject roughly 400 billion yuan ($54.70 billion) of fresh capital into the market.
** China’s securities regulator said it recently held a meeting with domestic and overseas investors including Temasek, Bridgewater and Blackrock to discuss ways to boost investor confidence. ** There are signs that “some long-term investors added positions on dips via ETF amid weak stock market sentiment,” UBS China equity strategist Lei Meng wrote in a note.
** Hong Kong-listed mainland developers slumped more than 3% on signs property sales in China remain sluggish. ** New home sales in China’s first-tier cities slumped 45% by area during Sept. 1-7, according to Haitong Securities.
** Sun Hung Kai Properties slumped 9.4% after the Hong Kong property giant reported a 17% decline in underlying profit for the year ended June. ** The Hang Seng Tech index lost 2%. Alibaba Group fell sharply after the surprise departure of outgoing Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang from the cloud business. ($1 = 7.3125 Chinese yuan renminbi)
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