HK shares enjoy first gain in 3 days

Hong Kong stocks enjoyed first gain in three days Thursday with the benchmark Hang Seng Index moved up 64.23 points, or 0.34 percent, to close at 19,209.3. The Index traded between 19,216.08 and 19,076.79 during the day 's session. Turnover totaled 43.73 billion HK dollars (about 5.64 billion U.S. dollars), compared with Wednesday's 51.27 billion HK dollars. The China Enterprises Index rose 67.25 points, or 1.59 percent, to end at 9,069.39 points. Market heavyweight China Mobile edged up 0.66 percent to 81.50 HK dollars. Banking giant HSBC gained 1.59 percent at 67.25 HK dollars. Its local unit Hang Seng Bank ended flat at 110.10 HK dollars. Mainland lenders went up. ICBC, China's largest bank by market value, ended up 0.74 percent at 4.1 HK dollars. CCB, the country's second largest lender by market capitalization, gained 0.61 percent at 4.99 HK dollars. BOC, one of the "Big Four," ended flat at 2.76 HK dollars. China Life, one of the world's largest life insurers by market value, rose 1.2 percent to 21.15 HK dollars. Another major Chinese insurer Ping An lost 0.09 percent at 55.10 HK dollars. As for local property developers, Sun Hung Kai, HK's largest property developer by market value, fell 0.4 percent to close at 100.10 HK dollars. Cheung Kong properties, owned by billionaire Li Ka-shing, decreased 0.86 percent to 103.80 HK dollars. Another major developer Henderson Land lowered 0.52 percent to 47.75 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer increased 0.44 percent to 9.12 HK dollars. Sinopec, China's top refiner, gained 0.91 percent to 6.91 HK dollars. CNOOC edged up 0. 35 percent at 14.16 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.757 HK dollars)