Hong Kong Shares Poised To Open To The Upside

(RTTNews) - The Hong Kong stock market has moved higher in consecutive trading days, climbing more than 675 points or 2.7 percent along the way. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 25,630-point plateau and it may see mild upside again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is upbeat on optimism over the outlook for interest rates. The European and U.S. markets were modestly higher and the Asian bourses are expected to follow that lead. The Hang Seng finished modestly higher on Monday following gains from the property stocks, technology companies and financial shares. For the day, the index gained 215.93 points or 0.85 percent to finish at 25,633.91 after trading between 25,387.81 and 25,664.01. Among the actives, Alibaba Group spiked 4.17 percent, while ANTA Sports climbed 0.85 percent, China Life Insurance sank 0.35 percent, China Mengniu Dairy and Nongfu Spring both shed 0.20 percent, China Resources Land improved 0.45 percent, CITIC surged 6.81 percent, CNOOC added 0.40 percent, CSPC Pharmaceutical accelerated 2.59 percent, Galaxy Entertainment advanced 0.58 percent, Hang Lung Properties gained 0.12 percent, Henderson Land increased 0.23 percent, Hong Kong & China Gas jumped 1.74 percent, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China collected 0.35 percent, JD.com strengthened 1.06 percent, Lenovo plunged 3.00 percent, Li Auto stumbled 1.02 percent, Li Ning rose 0.11 percent, Meituan slumped 0.97 percent, New World Development skyrocketed 17.40 percent, Techtronic Industries dipped 0.10 percent, Xiaomi Corporation rallied 2.05 percent, WuXi Biologics soared 5.52 percent and Haier Smart Home and Alibaba Health Info were unchanged.

The lead from Wall Street is cautiously optimistic as the major averages opened mixed on Monday but all finished with modest gains.

The Dow climbed 114.09 points or 0.25 percent to finish at 45,514.95, while the NASDAQ advanced98.31 points or 0.45 percent to close at 21,798.70 and the S&P 500 rose 13.65 points or 0.21 percent to end at 6,495.15.

The strength on Wall Street reflected optimism about the outlook for interest rates following last Friday's weaker-than-expected U.S. employment data.

Following the release of a closely watched report showing employment increased by much less than expected in the month of August, CME Group's FedWatch Tool is currently indicating a 90.2 percent chance the Fed will lower rates by a quarter point later this month.

Overall trading activity was subdued, however, as traders looked ahead to the release of consumer and producer price inflation later this week, which could also impact the outlook for rates.

Crude oil moved higher Monday on the threat of sanctions hanging over Russia on its oil exports, although the upside was limited by OPEC's decision Sunday to increase output. West Texas Intermediate crude for October delivery was up $0.53 or 0.86 percent at $62.40 per barrel.