HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks edged up at the open of trade Friday morning following a positive lead from Wall Street in reaction to a forecast-beating US jobless claims report.

The Hang Seng Index added 0.52 percent, or 144.04 points, to 28,043.65.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.29 percent, or 9.73 points, to 3,373.32, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange rose 0.36 percent, or 7.79 points, to 2,174.19.