Hong Kong Stock Market May Extend Monday's Gains

(RTTNews) - The Hong Kong stock market on Monday snapped the six-day losing streak in which it had plummeted more than 1,610 points or 7.6 percent. The Hang Seng Index now sits just above the 19,575-point plateau and it's expected to open to the upside again on Tuesday. The global forecast for the Asian markets is cautiously optimistic, with technology and oil stocks expected to lead the way higher. The European and U.S. markets were mostly higher and the Asian bourses are also likely to open to the upside. The Hang Seng finished modestly higher on Monday following gains from the financial shares and entertainment stocks, while the property and technology companies were mixed. For the day, the index advanced 150.27 points or 0.77 percent to finish at 19,576.61 after trading between 19,470.43 and 19,781.08. Among the actives, Alibaba Group slumped 1.03 percent, while Alibaba Health Info slid 0.26 percent, ANTA Sports fell 0.31 percent, China Life Insurance collected 1.30 percent, China Mengniu Dairy dropped 0.83 percent, China Resources Land advanced 1.06 percent, CITIC rallied 1.37 percent, CNOOC climbed 1.31 percent, CSPC Pharmaceutical and Techtronic Industries both dipped 0.19 percent, Galaxy Entertainment added 0.31 percent, Haier Smart Home plummeted 3.04 percent, Hang Lung Properties sank 0.47 percent, Henderson Land retreated 1.20 percent, Hong Kong & China Gas skidded 1.00 percent, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China soared 3.04 percent, JD.com surged 3.62 percent, Lenovo plunged 2.07 percent, Li Auto improved 0.74 percent, Li Ning shed 0.37 percent, Meituan lost 0.35 percent, New World Development tumbled 1.52 percent, Nongfu Spring jumped 1.94 percent, Xiaomi Corporation spiked 2.86 percent and WuXi Biologics declined 1.07 percent.

The lead from Wall Street suggests mild upside as the major averages opened on opposite sides of the line on Monday and maintained a fairly narrow trading range before ending mixed.

The Dow shed 55.39 points or 0.13 percent to finish at 43,389.60, while the NASDAQ climbed 111.69 points or 0.60 percent to close at 18,791.81 and the S&P 500 added 23.00 points or 0.39 percent to end at 5,893.62.

The strength on Wall Street reflected bargain hunting as traders look to pick up stocks at reduced levels following last week's steep drop amid concerns about the outlook for interest rates.

In U.S. economic news, the National Association of Home Builders said homebuilder confidence has improved much more than anticipated in November, hitting its highest level since April.

Oil prices climbed higher on Monday on concerns about likely shortage in supplies due to an escalation in Russia - Ukraine war, while a weaker dollar also contributed to the rise in oil prices. West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures for December closed higher by $2.14 or 3.2 percent at 69.16 a barrel.