Traders cheer the prospect of an imminent pause in the Fed’s tightening cycle, following recent bank failures and recession risks
Markets in mainland China resume trading after a three-day closure with strong data aiding buying sentiment, despite frustration among global investors
Hong Kong stocks rose from a one-week low as traders cheered the prospect of an imminent pause to interest-rate hikes. Strong May Day holiday spending also aided sentiment as markets in mainland China reopened.
The Hang Seng Index increased 1.14 per cent to 19,923.53 at 11.18am local time while the Tech Index added 0.88 per cent.
Tencent Holdings gained 0.18 per cent to HK$340 while Alibaba Group added 1 per cent to HK$81.15 and JD.com climbed 1.86 per cent to HK$136.80.
“The rates and bond markets have been aggressively pricing in cuts, so removing the tightening bias is not sufficient” for stocks to rally harder, said Redmond Wong, a strategist at Saxo Markets Hong Kong.
Limiting gains, Budweiser slumped 1.5 per cent to HK$22.95 after reporting a flattish first-quarter earnings as margins shrank despite a strong growth in volume sales. Bank of China lost 0.3 per cent to HK$3.10 while HSBC fell 0.3 per cent to HK$58.65 as markets await their reaction to higher borrowing costs later today.
The Federal Reserve lifted its target rate by a quarter point, as expected and hinted it may be done for now. It did not mention the need for further tightening as appropriate, which was previously noted in its March statement, following growing concerns about regional bank failures in the US this year.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority raised its base rate in lockstep to 5.5 per cent, and also intervened to defend the local currency peg by buying HK$4.67 billion and selling the equivalent US$595 million in New York on Wednesday amid speculation about capital outflows.
Onshore Chinese equities strengthened as trading resumed after the “golden week” holiday, with data showing a strong rebound in post-reopening consumption. The disconnect underlined the frustration among money managers, with many questioning the strength of China’s recovery.
Domestic visitors increased to 119 per cent over the same holiday in 2019, the government said, and much stronger than the jump during the Lunar New Year in January, Goldman Sachs said. Retail sales value of major retail and catering companies rose about 19 per cent, while intracity subway ridership in large cities was more than a fifth higher than year-ago level, the US investment bank said.
Major Asian markets traded lower. The Kospi in South Korea fell 0.5 per cent while the S&P/ASX 200 in Australia weakened 0.3 per cent. Markets in Japan are closed for a public holiday.