HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks were barely moved at the beginning of trade Thursday as investors weighed the outlook for US interest rates while keeping a close eye on developments in the Middle East crisis.

The Hang Seng Index inched up 1.40 points, to 16,253.24.

Hong Kong shares open with a small loss

The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.37 percent, or 11.35 points to 3,060.03, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China’s second exchange shed 0.33 percent, or 5.63 points to 1,695.12.