Analyst recaps Hong Kong stock markets' performance on Thursday

Hong Kong's stock market ended mixed Thursday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index down 0.29 percent to close at 26,752.59 points.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index inched up 0.07 percent to end at 9,530.13 points, and the Hang Seng Tech Index shed 0.66 percent to end at 6,471.34 points.

Wang Yin, a market analyst, recapped Hong Kong's stock market performance on Thursday, noting that investor sentiment was mixed amid sector-specific volatility and major corporate developments.

"Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index was dragged down actually today by chip stocks, as the index closed today 0.4 percent lower. Semiconductor stocks listed in Hong Kong dived in the afternoon session, as Huahong Semiconductor dipped 6.6 percent. The equity once rose more than 9 percent during the trading session today. And Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Group lost 5 percent, and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp tumbled 7 percent. The performance of the Hang Seng tech index was even worse, losing 0.8 percent at the close today. Shares of Hang Seng Bank soared as much as 25.7 percent, as key shareholder HSBC proposed to take the bank private in a deal worth 106.1 billion Hong Kong dollars," said Wang.

"And today we know that HSBC shares listed in Hong Kong actually fell nearly 6 percent. But this transaction marks the largest banking acquisition in Hong Kong in more than a decade. And this move triggered more losses in European shares as they opened lower, pulled down by banks after the privatization plan. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited rose more than 2 percent, as BofA Securities issued a research report, expecting that the stock's profit of the first three quarters of 2025 will be up 39 percent year on year, and the average daily turnover in Q3 logged an all-time new high," she said.

Analyst recaps Hong Kong stock markets' performance on Thursday

Year-end box office revenues in China are strong, with sales and pre-sales for screenings between Nov 28 and Dec 31 exceeding 4 billion yuan (about 570 million U.S. dollars) by 22:45 on Thursday, according to online platform data.

The strong performance in the year-end season has been driven by high-quality moviemaking and a broad selection of movies, with more than 50 films scheduled for release during the period, covering suspense, drama, action and science fiction.

Among domestic productions, war drama "Gezhi Town", which tells the little-known story of civilians in a remote mountain town in central China defending their home against Japanese aggression back in the late 1930s, has raked in over 330 million yuan (about 46.87 million U.S. dollars) at the box office, including previews and pre-sales.

Several other domestic titles, including suspense films "The Fire Raven" and "Escape from the Outland" as well as the fantasy time-travel adaptation "Back to the Past," are set to be released on Dec 31, offering audiences many different options for New Year's Eve.

On the imported film front, "Avatar: Fire and Ash," the third installment of the franchise which features new adventures and upgraded 3D visuals, will hit Chinese theaters on Dec 19.

Another import, "Zootopia 2," has already grossed over 3.6 billion yuan (about 511 million U.S. dollars) in China, surpassing its North American earnings and making China the film's top-grossing market worldwide.

China's year-end box office revenues surpass 4 billion yuan