HONG KONG: Hong Kong shares sank at the beginning of trade Thursday morning in an uneasy start for Asian markets, despite a positive day on Wall Street and ahead of key US data at the end of the week.

The Hang Seng Index shed 0.80 percent, or 143.93 points, to 17,946.00.

Hong Kong stocks open with losses

The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.33 percent, or 9.83 points, to 2,962.70, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China’s second exchange lost 0.42 percent, or 6.92 points, to 1,634.55.