Hong Kong shares start 2011 on higher note

Hong Kong stocks kicked of 2011 with a firm start as robust holiday spending provided a lift for shares of mall and casino operators, and energy stocks extended a recent strong run on the back of steady oil prices. Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index rose for a fourth successive session, ending up 1.7 percent with every constituent of the index closing higher on the day. Turnover remained light, however, with several financial markets in Asia, including Shanghai, closed.
Optimism over retail sales and rising office rentals in Hong Kong lifted commercial property developer Wharf (Holdings) Ltd 3.8 percent to a record high. "Local retailers benefited from strong Christmas sales in Hong Kong, mainly because of the relaxed immigration policy for tourists from China and the weak Hong Kong dollar," said Kingsway Group retail analyst Eva Chun in Hong Kong.
Wharf is rated a "buy" or "strong buy" by 13 of 19 analysts covering the company with the remaining six rating it a "hold", according to data from Thomson Reuters Starmine. A stronger yuan has put more purchasing power in the hands of mainland tourists to Hong Kong. China's yuan ended 2010 on a strong note, up 3.6 percent on the year, fanning hopes that it will see even more gains in the coming year.
Some market players see the rising yuan as one tool Chinese policymakers may use to curb inflation, which hit a 28-month high in November and prompted an interest rate rise on December 25. Analysts say rising inflation, in China as well as in the rest of Asia, is a main risk in 2011 prompting some investors to take a cautious view on equities for the year.
Investor guru Jim Rogers said there is a risk of China tightening monetary policy too aggressively because such measures have a lag effect. "There will be more tightening in China. They have a problem with inflation. They'll keep tightening and then they'll go too far like all governments," said Rogers.
Energy shares extended their strong run on the back of rising commodity prices as a recovering global economy boosts demand and disruptions in supply of coal keeps prices high. CNOOC Ltd rose 2.4 percent, the biggest boost to the Hang Seng Index. Coal production continues to be hit as record flooding in Australia's north-east severed roads and ports.
Coal mines with an annual production capacity of more than 90 million tonnes - about 35 percent of Australia's estimated 259 million tonnes of coal exports in 2009 - are under force majeure. Yanzhou Coal shares rose 3.4 percent. China Shenhua, China's largest coal producer, rose 1.8 percent. PetroChina rose 2 percent. The company said it would sell its interest in an oil storage company to parent China National Petroleum Corp for a gain of about 100 million yuan ($15.18 million).
Casino operators in Macau had a strong day as tourists flocked to the largest gambling market in the world. Wynn Macau Ltd rose 5.8 percent. Rival SJM Holdings Ltd was up 3.4 percent. The Macau government said gambling revenue surged 58 percent in 2010. Some analysts said discretionary spending by affluent Chinese would continue to power Macau's gambling sector - the only place in China where casino gambling is legal - to new heights in 2011 despite global economic storm clouds, although growth could moderate somewhat.