Hong Kong: Shares end 1.96% higher

[HONG KONG] Hong Kong stocks rallied almost two per cent on Friday following a record close on Wall Street and on speculation authorities will soon announce a tie-up between the city's index and Shenzhen's.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 1.96 per cent, or 535.73 points, to 27,822.28 on turnover of HK$137.82 billion (US$17.78 billion).

But in mainland China the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index fell 1.59 per cent, or 69.62 points, to 4,308.69 on turnover of 666.0 billion yuan (US$109.0 billion).

The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, lost 0.47 per cent, or 11.44 points, to 2,442.76 on turnover of 640.3 billion yuan.

AFP