China, HK stocks fall as Middle East tensions spur risk-off mood

SHANGHAI: China and Hong Kong shares fell on Thursday as investors turned risk-averse amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.

• China’s blue-chip CSI300 Index and the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.8% each. Hong Kong benchmark Hang Seng was down 1.1%.
• Risk sentiment weakened after Iran seized two ships in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, tightening its grip on the strategic waterway a day after U.S. President Donald Trump announced he was indefinitely calling off attacks, with no sign of peace talks restarting.
• Non-ferrous metals shares lost 4.1%, leading declines onshore, while energy stocks rose 2.4% to a two-week high. The coal index was up 1.9%.
• Semiconductor stocks fell 2.5%, after Reuters reported Micron Technology, the largest U.S. memory chipmaker, pushed the U.S. Congress to crack down on chip tool sales to Chinese rivals.
• Consumer names outperformed, with onshore liquor shares up 2.1%.
• “Although traditional consumer segments have not performed well, structural opportunities do exist,” said Wenli Zheng, a portfolio manager at T. Rowe Price.
• “These include companies exposed to faster-growing segments such as travel and entertainment and share gainers with innovative business models such as discount stores and fresh drinks,” Zheng said.
• In Hong Kong, tech majors fell 2.3% and healthcare dropped 3.4%.
• Shares of Huaqin, a Chinese smart device maker and original design manufacturer, climbed 17% in the Hong Kong market debut on Thursday after the company raised HK$4.6 billion ($581 million) in a share offering.