Oil, telecoms drag HK shares to 2-½ wk low
By Rita Chang
HONG KONG, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Hong Kong blue chips fell 1.8 percent and China plays declined 3.5 percent on Wednesday, tracking sharply lower Asian markets, as persistent profit-taking in the telecoms and mainland financial sector weighed.
Some oil stocks buckled after crude prices briefly touched a year-and-a-half low overnight, with PetroChina Co. Ltd. (0857.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) falling 3.3 percent to HK$9.9 and CNOOC (0883.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) dropping 2.2 percent to HK$6.71. Reuters Pictures
By midsession, the benchmark Hang Seng Index <.HSI> had tapped 2-½ week lows before settling down 366.12 points at 19,531.96 and putting blue chips below their 14-day moving average.
"When the market falls to 19,400, I think we'll meet the bottom and then there will be bargain-hunting," said Kingston Lin, associate director at Prudential Brokerage Ltd, adding the index could reach that level this week..
Turnover was HK$37.6 billion (US$4.8 billion), in line with Tuesday morning's HK$37.1 billion.
China Mobile (0941.HK: Quote, Profile , Research), the biggest drag on the blue chips, slid 2.1 percent to HK$65.05. China Unicom (0762.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) plunged 6.4 percent to HK$10.24 after Bear Stearns downgraded the stock to "peer perform" from "outperform", citing stretched valuations.
China Telecom (0728.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) fell 2.8 percent to HK$3.80.
Mainland financials also suffered steep losses following their stellar run, with China Life (2628.HK: Quote, Profile , Research), the biggest drag on the H shares, tumbling 6.6 percent to HK$23.90. Reuters Pictures Photo
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Ping An Insurance (Group) Co. of China Ltd. (2318.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) plummeted 5.2 percent to HK$37.65.
Industrial & Commercial Bank of China (1398.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) declined 2.8 percent to HK$4.55 and Bank of China (3988.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) skidded nearly 3 percent to HK$3.97.
On the plus side, investors switched into laggards and low-risk sectors like gas and utilities and mainland toll road operators.
Anhui Expressway Co. Ltd. (0995.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) jumped 2.6 percent to HK$6.68, earlier setting a new peak. Jiangsu Express (0177.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) gained 1.4 percent to HK$5.10.
Hong Kong and China Gas Co. Ltd. (0003.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) (Towngas) gained 1 percent to HK$17.62 and power company CLP Holdings (0002.HK: Quote, Profile , Research) rose 1.2 percent to HK$56.35. (US$1=HK$7.8)
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