HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks began Thursday barely moved, with hopes for an imminent Brexit deal offset by a plunge in Alibaba after Chinese regulators launched a probe into it for "suspected monopolistic practices".

The Hang Seng Index inched down 0.23 points to 26,342.87.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was also flat, dipping 0.13 points to 3,382.19, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange eased 0.14 percent, or 3.19 points, to 2,278.05.