China stocks rise on consumption, agri boost; HK up

19 Oct, 2021

SHANGHAI: China stocks rose on Tuesday, led by consumer staples and agriculture stocks, while tech giants drove the Hang Seng benchmark to a 5-week high.

The CSI300 index rose 0.9pc to 4,920.68 at the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.7pc to 3,593.23.

The Hang Seng index added 1.2pc to 25,708.52. The Hong Kong China Enterprises Index gained 1.4pc to 9,097.88.

Consumer staples added 2.2pc, rebounding from a sharp drop in the previous session as the sector was spooked by Xi Jinping's call for the expansion of a consumption tax.

Broker CICC said in a note that consumption is expected to continue to recover in the fourth quarter.

China stocks fall as economic growth hits 1-year low

Analysts also said investors will now eye companies' Q3 earning reports.

The coal sub-index gained 1.2pc, as China's coking coal and coke futures jumped to record highs amid a short supply. Government data showed China's power woes may worsen as demand surges.

The agriculture sub-index surged nearly 3pc, and the healthcare sub-index was up 1.8pc.

Real estate firms lost 0.8pc, as investors continue to digest Beijing's property tax plans and growing signs of weakness in China's housing market.

The Hang Seng Tech Index rose 2.3pc, tracking a tech-driven Wall Street rally, with video platform Bilibili leading the gains and up 12.4pc.

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group added 1.3pc. The company said on Tuesday it has developed a processor that will be used to power servers in its data centers.

A sub-index tracking financials stocks added 1.3pc, while consumer staples gained 1.5pc.

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