HONG KONG: Hong Kong shares finished up Thursday, following a strong lead from Wall Street.

The Hang Seng Index was up 1.08 percent, or 257.99 points, to 24,254.86.

The Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.98 percent, or 35.47 points, to 3,673.04, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange gained by 0.87 percent, or 21.87 points, to 2,543.16.