Hong Kong stocks end 0.29% higher

Hong Kong shares ended higher on Tuesday, with the weighted index rising 68.08 points, or 0.29 percent, at 23,658.99. The benchmark Hang Seng Index traded between 23,498.96 and 23, 685.55. Turnover totaled 72.47 billion HK dollars (about 9.35 billion U.S. dollars). The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 70.85 points, or 0. 58 percent, to close at 12,196.74. Three out of four sub-indices gained ground, with the Finance rising the most by 0.45 percent, followed by the Commerce and Industry 0.19 percent, and the Utilities 0.13 percent. The Properties fell 0.01 percent. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, fell 0.12 percent to 85.2 HK dollars, and its local unit Hang Seng Bank went up 0.17 percent at 119.8 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong's major bank, lost 0.64 percent to 31.15 HK dollars. Chinese mainland lenders moved up. China Construction Bank, the country's second largest bank which accounts for the third largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, rose 0.76 percent to 6.67 HK dollars. ICBC,The world's largest bank by market value, went up 1. 19 percent at 5.97 HK dollars. Bank of Communications, China's fifth biggest lender measured by assets, added 0.63 percent at 6.4 HK dollars. Bank of China gained 0.27 percent at 3.76 HK dollars. Local developers ended mixed. Hang Lung Properties fell 0.49 percent to 31.2 HK dollars. Henderson Land, one of the major developers in Hong Kong, closed at 59.3 HK dollars without change. Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, went down 0.54 percent to 129.2 HK dollars. As for energy stocks, China's top refiner Sinopec added 0.65 percent to 9.31 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, went up 0.36 percent to 11.16 HK dollars. China Mer Hldgs was the best-performing blue chip in the day, with its shares rising 8.81 percent to 28.4 HK dollars. China Unicom was the worst-performing blue chip in the day, with its shares falling 0.92 percent to 12.96 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals to 7.75 HK dollars)