SHANGHAI: China stocks extended losses on Friday, weighed down by foreign fund outflow concerns, COVID-19 woes and elevated geopolitical tensions, while Hong Kong shares fell towards an 11-year low.
** The blue-chip CSI 300 Index had lost 0.9% by the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index was down 1.1%. Both indexes were down for a third straight session.
** The Hang Seng Index and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index were both down roughly 0.9%.
** For the week, the CSI 300 has lost 2.5% so far, while the Hang Seng Index has plunged 4.1% and is set to log its worst weekly performance in 10 weeks.
** Asian stocks limped towards a fourth straight weekly decline on expectations of aggressive Fed rate hikes.
China’s blue-chip stocks hit 4-month low
** “A-share sentiment set a new YTD (year-to-date) low as trading volume declined further and the earnings revision trend continued to worsen,” Morgan Stanley said in a note.
** “Investor sentiment deterioration is driven largely by ongoing COVID outbreaks, rising geopolitical uncertainties and relatively quiet policy direction ahead of the Party Congress.”
** Semiconductor stocks tumbled 3.2% to lead the declines, while shares of new energy firms, consumer discretionary companies and automobile makers retreated more than 2% each.
** Overshadowed by US President Joe Biden’s headline-grabbing vow that American forces would defend Taiwan against a Chinese attack was his hint at possibly shifting US policy to support the island’s right to self-determination.
** Beijing has sent a team of regulatory officials to Hong Kong to assist the US audit watchdog with onsite audit inspections involving Chinese companies, sources said, as part of a landmark deal between the two countries.
** Tech giants listed in Hong Kong fell more than 2%, with heavyweights Tencent and Meituan shedding 2.3% and 2.2%, respectively, to become the biggest drags on the Hang Seng benchmark.
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