HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks opened lower Thursday, following losses on Wall Street after Federal Reserve officials signalled the need for aggressive monetary policy to contain inflation.

The Hang Seng Index dropped 0.71 percent, or 156.95 points, to 21,997.13.

The Shanghai Composite Index eased 0.48 percent, or 15.70 points, to 3,255.33, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China’s second exchange dipped 1.01 percent, or 21.91 points, to 2,141.29.