HONG KONG: Hong Kong shares slipped on Friday as the local market reopened after the three-day Lunar New Year break, with technology stocks leading the slide but oil shares provided support as concerns of conflict between the US and Iran sent oil prices higher.
China’s humanoid robots-related stocks climbed as the robots took centre stage for Lunar New Year showtime in the annual CCTV Spring Festival gala on Monday, showcasing the country’s cutting-edge industrial policy and Beijing’s push to dominate humanoid robots and the future of manufacturing.
Traders said investors stayed away from technology stocks on concern over geopolitical tension between China and the US.
The Hang Seng Index was down 0.6% at 26,544.62, while the Chinese H-share index listed in Hong Kong, the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index, fell 0.59% to 9,016.99.
The top gainer on the Hang Seng was PetroChina, up 4.58%, while the biggest loser was Baidu Inc, which was down 5.67%.
The top gainers among H-shares were BeOne Medicines AG , up 4.76%, followed by PetroChina, gaining 4.58% and CNOOC Ltd, up by 3.34%.
The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were Baidu Inc, which fell 5.67%, JD Health International Inc, which lost 5.03% and Alibaba Group, down by 3.75%.
Humanoid robots-related stocks climbed with Zhejiang Sanhua Intelligent Controls up 6.6%, and Shanghai MicroPort MedBot up 3.2%.‑Reuters
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