Hong Kong equities rose 73 points, or 0.3%, to 26,303 in Monday morning trade, marking gains for a second session amid strength mainly from tech and consumer stocks. Support also came from the Shanghai Composite, which hovered around decade highs, amid optimism toward the AI sector and easing deflation risks in China. Moreover, optimism grew that Beijing can balance domestic demand and supply to underpin earnings. Still, a sharp drop in U.S. futures capped advances after the Department of Justice launched a criminal probe into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, escalating President Trump’s pressure on the central bank. Meanwhile, caution prevailed ahead of key Chinese data this week, including December trade, credit figures, and Q4 GDP. Early movers included Meituan (4.0%), Kuaishou Tech (3.2%), Swire Properties (2.3%), and Techtronic Industries (2.0%). OmniVision Integrated Circuits rose 6.7% in their Hong Kong debut after the company raised HKD4.8 billion from a second listing.
