
People sporting face masks crossing a avenue at Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district on Feb. 16, 2021.
Zhang Wei | China News Service | Getty Images
Hong Kong’s benchmark index entered bear market territory Wednesday on an intraday foundation, erasing the rebound beneficial properties from China’s reopening.
The Hang Seng index hit a session low of 18,105.78. That’s 20.2% beneath its 52-week closing excessive of twenty-two,688.9 reached on Jan. 27. A technical bear market is outlined as when costs fall 20% beneath latest highs.
Hong Kong know-how stocks had been among the many main decliners for the general index, together with web firm NetEase and e-commerce platforms Meituan and JD.com. Alibaba shed almost 3%, Baidu fell greater than 4%, and Bilibili plunged by 6%.
The Hang Seng Tech index has already fallen by greater than 25% from its January peak. That’s a stark distinction to the reopening optimism that had as soon as pushed Asia-Pacific’s benchmark MSCI Asia Pacific index to a bull market.
The Hang Seng China Enterprises index, which measures the efficiency of the 50 largest and most liquid mainland Chinese firms listed in Hong Kong, has additionally retreated by greater than 21% from its January peak.
Analysts had initially anticipated China’s economy to recover faster and earlier than expected, however that view shortly light after the nation continued to ship disappointing financial information.
The newest manufacturing unit exercise studying for China got here in at 48.8, beneath the 50-mark that separates progress from contraction — and lacking the 49.4 estimate from a Reuters ballot.

Morgan Stanley analysts stated in a May 17 report {that a} weak studying in that manufacturing measure “has been a stable precursor to coverage easing.” Economists advised CNBC {that a} disappointing rebound could lead to more government stimulus ahead.
“If progress doesn’t speed up sufficiently to slim the output hole, social stability threat could rise and ultimately set off more meaningful stimulus,” Morgan Stanley analysts wrote within the observe.
The National Bureau of Statistics famous the buying managers’ index for giant producers got here in at 50, whereas that of smaller producers was decrease. The index for providers exercise remained in expansionary territory at 54.5, however marked a second-straight month of decline.
Demand a significant concern
Citi economists wrote in a Wednesday observe that the most recent financial information lacking expectations by a big margin is seen as “indicators of fatigue with the preliminary reopening impulse peaking.”
“Insufficient demand may very well be the most important concern now, and there are each cyclical and structural causes for it,” they wrote, including the “preliminary enhance to the providers sector from reopening may very well be fading.”
Citi economists additionally anticipate the People’s Bank of China to lower its medium-term lending facility charges by 20 foundation factors and its reserve requirement ratio by 50 foundation factors by the tip of the yr.
“We reckon that the Chinese financial system may very well be on the verge of a self-fulfilling confidence lure and consider decisive coverage actions are wanted,” they wrote.
“There may very well be restricted room for fiscal easing from the funds and we anticipate structural easing efforts with extra efforts from the central authorities and quasi-fiscal instruments by way of coverage banks,” they wrote.
– CNBC’s Evelyn Cheng contributed to this report
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