China stocks fall as financial, consumer firms weigh; Hong Kong down

SHANGHAI: China stocks fell on Tuesday as investors booked profit after a rally, with financial and consumer firms leading the retreat.

** The CSI300 index fell 1.3% to 5,185.65 by the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.0% to 3,572.27.

** The retreat came after the blue-chip CSI300 index rose for the fifth straight session on Monday.

** The CSI300 financials index declined 1.3%, while the CSI300 consumer staples index dropped 2.1%.

** China will make its monetary policy flexible, targeted and appropriate, while keeping interbank liquidity reasonable, the central bank said on Monday, as authorities seek to consolidate a post-COVID-19 economic recovery.

** China's economy has staged a strong rebound from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Chinese exporters racing ahead to fill global demand bolstering the vast industry sector, but the recovery in the consumer end has been weak.

** "The net injection by the PBOC was to smooth liquidity across quarters and the PBOC would probably go back to drain short-term liquidity, while large inflows via the Stock Connect are unsustainable against a backdrop of a stronger dollar," said Yan Kaiwen, an analyst with China Fortune Securities.

** Yan said it's a bull market for growth stocks driven mainly by loose liquidity, and any signs of change in liquidity conditions could lead to large fluctuations in the market.

** Shares in China's leading battery maker CATL hit an all-time high, after the company extended a battery supply deal with Tesla Inc to 2025.

** According to Refinitiv data, investors via the Stock Connect linking mainland and Hong Kong sold net 2.6 billion yuan ($402.46 million) worth of A-shares on Tuesday.

** The Hang Seng index dropped 0.8% to 29,043.02, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index lost 1.0% to 10,754.19.