Hong Kong stocks end with gains

HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks closed Thursday with gains on hopes a post-Brexit trade deal will be signed soon, but increases were tempered by a plunge in market heavyweight Alibaba after China launched an anti-monopoly probe into the ecommerce giant.

The Hang Seng Index added 0.16 percent, or 43.46 points, to 26,386.56 as investors broke up early for Christmas.