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Hong Kong Stocks Fall After Fed, HKMA Rate Hikes; Continental Drops 3%

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Hong Kong stocks fell Thursday after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points, prompting a selloff on Wall Street and weighing on investor sentiment across Asian markets.

The Hong Kong Monetary Authority also raised its base rate by 25 basis points to 4.25% after the Fed's decision, its first increase since 2023.

The Hang Seng Index fell 109.49 points, or 0.4%, to close at 24,604.29, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index dropped 31.01 points, or also 0.4%, to 8,175.36.

Higher borrowing costs weighed on property shares as investors grew concerned about the pace of the housing recovery. Gold producers and non-ferrous metal stocks also fell heavily as U.S. Treasury yields and the dollar rose.

In corporate developments, Continental Holdings (HKG:0513) said it expects a net loss of less than HK$600 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, mainly due to losses from its divested mining business. Shares of the jewelry company fell more than 3%.

AI Energy Engineering (HKG:1751) fell nearly 1% after proposing a two-for-five rights issue to raise up to about HK$72.4 million in net proceeds.

What else is happening in Asia?

Asia

Market Chatter: China Airlines Plans Codeshare Partnership with Britain's Virgin Atlantic

China Airlines (TPE:2610) plans to launch codeshare partnership with Britain's Virgin Atlantic Airways, according to a Focus Taiwan report on Wednesday, quoting the airlines' president Kevin Chen.Initially, China Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic will share flight codes on each other's services and will subsequently tap into complementary route networks to faciliate better flight services between Taiwan and the UK, Chen said.China Airlines' sahares were up over 1% in Thursday's trade.(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

TPE:2610
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China Petrochemical Unit Wins Court Ruling Revoking Land Seizure

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TPE:1314
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Lotus Pharmaceutical's Unit to Reduce Capital by $70 Million

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TPE:1795