Roundup: Hong Kong stocks close 0.43 pct lower

Hong Kong stocks ended down 0.43 percent on Wednesday, with the benchmark Hang Seng index falling 103.37 points to end at 24,112.60 points, after trading between 24, 056.22 and 24,326.70. Turnover totaled 86.07 billion HK dollars ( about 11.06 billion U.S. dollars).

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 54.65 points, or 0. 45 percent, to close at 12,008.37.

The Commerce and Industry sub-index fell by 0.75 percent, the Properties ended 0.31 percent lower, the Finance fell by 0.26 percent while the Utility went up by 0.20 percent.

Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, closed down 0.63 percent to 70.85 HK dollars, while its local unit Hang Seng Bank rose 0.46 percent to 129.90 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX fell 0.83 percent at 177.90 HK dollars.

Local developers Hang Lung Properties fell 0.70 percent to 21. 25 HK dollars. Henderson Land, another major developer in Hong Kong, ended down 0.28 pct at 53.3 HK dollars, and Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing,went down by 0.69 percent to 142.40 HK dollars.

As for mainland-based financial stocks, China Construction Bank, the country's second largest bank which accounts for the third largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, fell by 0.31 percent to 6.39 HK dollars. ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, went down 0.52 percent to 5.68 HK dollars. Bank of China increased 0.22 percent to 4.41 HK dollars.

PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, was down 0.68 percent to 8.73 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.761 HK dollars) Endi