Hong Kong stocks close higher on US-China trade hopes

• Hong Kong stocks ended higher Thursday on a late surge after Beijing said China had bought a "considerable" amount of US pork and soybeans.
• The Hang Seng Index climbed 0.37 percent, or 96.58 points, to 26,041.93.

HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks ended higher Thursday on a late surge after Beijing said China had bought a "considerable" amount of US pork and soybeans, spurring optimism for a US-China trade deal.

The Hang Seng Index climbed 0.37 percent, or 96.58 points, to 26,041.93.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.89 percent, or 26.34 points lower, to 2,929.09 and the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, shed 2.50 percent, or 41.05 points, to end at 1,597.72.