Feb 10 (Reuters) - Hong Kong stocks rise on Wednesday to end at a three-week high, after upbeat data pointed to a continued recovery in China's economy.
The Hang Seng index rose 1.9%, to 30,038.72, while the China Enterprises Index gained 1.8% to 11,810.25 points.
China's factory gate prices rose in annual terms in January for the first time in a year, as months of strong manufacturing growth pushed raw material costs higher. The producer price index rose 0.3% from a year earlier, the fastest pace of increase since May 2019.
Also helping sentiment, worries eased of an abrupt policy shift amid recent tight liquidity conditions, after the latest lending data.
China's new bank loans leapt to new highs in January, boosted by seasonal demand, while broad credit growth slowed, as the central bank walks a tightrope between supporting a recovering economy and rising debt risks.
Tech players, usually sensitive to changes in liquidity conditions, gained, with the Hang Seng tech index rising 2.5%.
China's monetary policy has gradually returned to normal, leaving interbank interest rates at relatively high levels, which could help benefit Chinese banking shares, KGI Securities noted in a report.
However, the brokerage added as China's Lunar New Year holiday approached, turnover declined in both the A-share market and Hong Kong market, and the Hang Seng index faced technical resistance around the 30,000-point level.
The Hang Seng financial index gained 1.8%, leading the rally on Wednesday.
Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.57%, while Japan's Nikkei index closed up 0.19%.
The yuan was quoted at 6.4386 per U.S. dollar at 08:20 GMT, 0.07% weaker than the previous close of 6.4342.
At close, China's A-shares were trading at a premium of 36.99% over Hong Kong-listed H-shares.