Hong Kong: Shares fall after sluggish China economic data

[SHANGHAI] Hong Kong shares finished down on Tuesday after data showed the mainland economy cooled further last month.

Data on Tuesday showed that China's economy lost steam in October, with industrial output, fixed asset investment and retail sales missing expectations as the government extended a crackdown on debt risks and factory pollution.

The Hang Seng index fell 0.1 per cent, to 29,152.12, while the China Enterprises Index lost 0.7 per cent, to 11,601.69 points.

The top gainers among H-shares were Air China Ltd, up 4.82 per cent, followed by Anhui Conch Cement Co Ltd , which gained 4.15 percent and Zhuzhou CRRC Times Electric Co Ltd, up 2.09 per cent.

The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were PICC Property and Casualty Co Ltd which has fallen 3.69 per cent, People's Insurance Group of China Co Ltd which has lost 2.7 per cent and Postal Savings Bank of China Co Ltd down by 2.2 per cent.

China's A-shares were trading at a premium of 29.23 per cent over the Hong Kong-listed H-shares.

The sub-index of the Hang Seng index tracking energy shares dipped 1.1 per cent while the IT sector fell 0.3 per cent.

REUTERS