FX.co ★ Hong Kong Market Rises to Near Two-Week High

In Tuesday morning trade, Hong Kong stocks surged by 292 points, or 1.1%, reaching 27,059, and marking the fifth consecutive session of gains. This uptick brings the index close to its two-week high. Every sector posted advances, spearheaded by financials, which soared approximately 2% after Beijing committed to bolstering financial market integration with Hong Kong. Market sentiment was further buoyed by new data indicating a 0.6% year-over-year growth in China's industrial profits in 2025, significantly above the 0.1% growth rate observed from January to November. This positive outcome was bolstered by a solid 5.3% rebound in December, recovering from November's 13.0% decline. Despite these gains, advances were somewhat curtailed by a downturn in U.S. futures. This came after President Trump escalated tariffs on imports from South Korea to 25% from 15%, citing Seoul's alleged non-compliance with last year's trade agreement. Meanwhile, on the mainland, caution mounted as investors awaited January's official Purchasing Managers' Index release, prompting a continuation of stock declines. In Hong Kong, top-performing stocks included Zijin Gold Intl. (12.0%), Minimax Group (10.2%), AIA Group (3.6%), and Techtronic Industries (2.0%).