| HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong stocks staged a retreat early Friday, tracking weak global markets, with Cnooc Ltd. leading the fall after commodity prices declined overnight in New York. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HSI 23,780, -72.55, -0.30%) dropped 0.5% to 23,724.64 after finishing at a fresh 28-month high in the previous session, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index slipped 0.2% to 13,551.12. Cnooc (HK:883 16.28, -0.44, -2.63%) (CEO 213.34, +6.09, +2.94%) fell 1.6%, and Jiangxi Copper Co. (JIXAY 118.59, +4.59, +4.03%) (HK:358 22.85, -0.30, -1.30%) declined 0.4%, while gold miner Zijin Mining Group Co. (HK:2899 7.86, -0.08, -1.01%) gave up 0.3%. Property and banking stocks were mixed, with Sino Land Co.'s (HK:83 16.50, -0.14, -0.84%) (SNLAY 10.19, -0.10, -0.97%) 1.1% drop countering a 1.1% gain in Henderson Land Development Co. (HK:12 57.30, +0.85, +1.51%) (HLDCY 7.20, -0.06, -0.83%) . Among lenders, Bank of China Ltd. (HK:3988 4.55, +0.06, +1.34%) (BACHY 14.45, +0.45, +3.21%) rose 2%, while heavyweight HSBC Holdings PLC (HK:5 83.00, -1.00, -1.19%) (HBC 53.05, +0.19, +0.36%) lost 1.1%. China's Shanghai Composite was little changed after moving in both directions. |
