HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks opened on a tentatively positive note Thursday as investors welcomed Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell's indication that the bank will embark on a gradual pace of interest rate hikes to fight inflation.

The Hang Seng Index edged up 0.40 percent or 90.34 points, to 22,434.26.

The Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.34 percent or 11.74 points, to 3,495.93, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange 0.36 percent or 8.32 points, to 2,321.50.