HONG KONG: China and Hong Kong stocks fell on Wednesday, led by declines in the chip and consumption sectors, as geopolitical tensions and economic uncertainties kept sentiment subdued.
China shares end higher on chip rally; HK down
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At the midday break, China’s blue-chip CSI300 index was down 1.5%, and the Shanghai Composite index weakened 1.46% to 3,182.48 points.
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In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index dropped 1.6%, extending its decline to a third consecutive day and reaching its lowest point since late September.
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Leading the decline onshore, shares of semiconductor firms tumbled 3.3%, giving up most of the gains made on Tuesday after the US Defense Department expanded the list of firms allegedly aiding Beijing’s military.
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Shares of chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation shed 4.7% to a nearly three-week low and peer Hua Hong Semiconductor lost 4.3%.
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China’s consumption sector fell 1.3% despite Beijing’s latest measures to expand scope of consumer trade-ins.
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“A combination of an escalation in US-China tensions, looming tariff uncertainty stemming from the incoming US administration, and likely muted policy actions from China ahead of the March NPC suggests that Chinese equities will likely go through a volatile period until policy delivery materializes,” analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a note on Wednesday.
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Around the region, MSCI’s Asia ex-Japan stock index was weaker by 0.60% while Japan’s Nikkei index was down 0.13%.
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Chinese ADRs fell 0.2% overnight.
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The yuan was quoted at 7.3316 per US dollar, 0.04% weaker than the previous close of 7.3284.
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