Chinese battery giant surges in Hong Kong debut

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL) made its highly anticipated debut at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEX) on Tuesday, opening 12.55 percent higher at 296 Hong Kong dollars (about 37.81 U.S. dollars) on its first trading day.

Trading under the stock code 3750, CATL raised 4.6 billion U.S. dollars, one of the largest IPOs on HKEX in recent years and the biggest globally so far this year.

CATL's Hong Kong listing attracted a diverse range of investors from 15 countries and regions, including sovereign wealth funds, industrial investors, and long-term institutional investors. The listing process was completed in just 128 days.

As of the end of 2024, CATL operated six global research and development centers and 13 battery production bases, with service networks spanning 64 countries and regions.

The company's profitability has grown consistently, with profits reaching 33.5 billion yuan (about 4.64 billion U.S. dollars), 47.3 billion yuan, and 55.3 billion yuan in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively.

The death toll in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip has risen to 71,441 since the conflict between Hamas and Israel erupted on Oct 7, 2023, with the number of injuries reaching 171,329, said Gaza's health authorities on Thursday.

In the past 24 hours, hospitals in Gaza received two bodies, according to the health authorities.

Since the ceasefire agreement took effect on Oct 11, 2025, Israeli attacks have killed 451 people and wounded 1,251 others in the Gaza Strip.