By V. Phani Kumar
HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong shares declined early Wednesday after rising in the last two sessions, with a recovery in the U.S. dollar and a drop in energy prices weighing down energy stocks. The Hang Seng Index (HK:HANGSENG 23,021, -410.10, -1.75%) fell 0.7% to 23,274.45 and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index dropped 0.8% to 12,760.19. Shares of Cnooc Ltd. (CEO 234.93, -1.79, -0.76%) (HK:883 17.94, -0.54, -2.92%) dropped 1.5% and PetroChina Co. (PTR 128.10, -1.23, -0.95%) (HK:857 9.68, -0.32, -3.20%) lost 1.9% on a pullback in crude-oil prices, while Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. (CPCAY 15.10, +0.09, +0.60%) (HK:293 22.05, -1.65, -6.96%) dropped 3.6% in the downbeat market. CLP Holdings (HK:2 63.60, -0.35, -0.55%) (CLPHY 7.97, -0.23, -2.80%) rose 0.3% after it agreed to buy Australian energy assets for $2.02 billion. China's Shanghai Composite (CN:SHCOMP 2,911, -15.66, -0.54%) shed 0.2% to 2,919.19. |
