China, HK shares edge up in volatile trading; new energy, tech lead gains

HONG KONG: China and Hong Kong stocks edged up on Wednesday, despite regional volatility, as investors rotated into defensive plays while upped bets on new energy sectors.

At the midday break, the Shanghai Composite index edged up 0.05% at 4,125.32 points, while the blue-chip CSI300 index added 0.5%.

Leading markets higher, the CSI New Energy Index rallied 3.3% as investors bet geopolitical tensions driving energy prices higher will boost the sector.

Battery giant CATL extended its rally on profit beat, rising as much as 7.2% to a near four-month high before closing the morning session up 6%.

The financial sector sub-index and the CSI Banks Index both added 0.4%, benefiting from defensive plays amid ongoing market volatilities.

Shares in the broader Asia region were largely steady on Wednesday, as markets remain hopeful that U.S. President Donald Trump would seek to end the Iran war soon, although contradictory signals left investors struggling to gauge its impact on global inflation and growth.

“The Iran conflict appears to be de-escalating and risk assets have continued to rally across the board. Chinese stock indices are riding this wave,” analysts at Huatai Futures wrote in a note.

“But they’re still held back by weak fundamentals and a lack of positive drivers. We expect the markets to trade sideways with some corrective moves rather than breaking higher.”

In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index was flat at 25,981.77. The Hang Seng Tech Index gained 0.3%.

Tencent climbed 0.5% to near a five-week high on AI optimism.

EV maker NIO rallied as much as 19.7% to the highest level since November, after posting first-ever net profit for the last quarter.