Hong Kong stocks end higher, but trade tensions cap gains

Credit: REUTERS/BOBBY YIP

HK->Shanghai Connect daily quota used -2.1%, Shanghai->HK daily quota used 4.2%

HSI +0.2%, HSCE -0.3%, CSI300 -0.5%

FTSE China A50 -0.6%

May 22 (Reuters) - Hong Kong stocks edged higher on Wednesday, but gains were capped by rising trade worries following reports that the United States could blacklist another Chinese tech firm.

** The Hang Seng index .HSI rose 0.2%, to 27,705.94 points, while the China Enterprises Index .HSCE lost 0.3%, to 10,604.55 points.

** The U.S. administration is considering Huawei-like sanctions on Chinese video surveillance firm Hikvision, media reports show, deepening worries that trade friction between the world's top two economies could be further inflamed.

** That came after the U.S. Commerce Department blocked Huawei Technologies Co Ltd from buying U.S. goods last week.

** Beijing is ready to resume trade talks with Washington, China's ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said, as a top U.S. business lobby in China said nearly half its members are seeing non-tariff barrier retaliation in China due to the trade war.

** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index .MIAPJ0000PUS was firmer by 0.17%, while Japan's Nikkei index .N225 closed up 0.05%.

** The yuan CNY=CFXS was quoted at 6.906 per U.S. dollar at 08:18 GMT, 0.05% weaker than the previous close of 6.9028.

** The top gainers among H-shares were Huatai Securities Co Ltd 6886.HK, up 1.94%, followed by China Tower Corp Ltd 0788.HK, gaining 1.69%, and China Telecom Corp Ltd 0728.HK, up by 0.77%.

** The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were Shenzhou International Group Holdings Ltd 2313.HK, which was down 1.83%, Hengan International Group Company Ltd 1044.HK, which fell 1.7%, and China Communications Construction Co Ltd 1800.HK, down by 1.5%.

** About 1.76 billion Hang Seng index shares were traded, roughly 98.9% of the market's 30-day moving average of 1.78 billion shares a day. The volume traded in the previous trading session was 2.30 billion.

** At close, China's A-shares were trading at a premium of 24.31% over Hong Kong-listed H-shares.

(Reporting by the Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

((luoyan.liu@thomsonreuters.com; Reuters Messaging: luoyan.liu.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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