Hong Kong stocks edged up 54 points, or 0.2%, to 26,393 in Monday’s morning session, extending gains from the prior day and reaching a seven-week high. Traders looked past U.S. military action in Venezuela, where President Nicolas Maduro was captured, and President Donald Trump announced temporary American control. Strength in mainland equities supported sentiment, amid renewed optimism over China’s domestic AI sector. Last week, President Xi Jinping signaled more proactive macro policies in 2026 to sustain momentum after around 5% growth in 2025. On the data front, Chinese services activity rose the least in six months in December, due to a drop in employment and fragile foreign demand, according to a private survey. Meantime, retail sales in Hong Kong eased in November, partly due to weaker department store activity. While tech stocks led the gain, top early movers included Kuaishou Tech (10.3%), Chow Tai Fook (5.1%), China Hongqiao (2.4%), SMIC (2.1%), and CK Infrastructure (1.8%).
