Hong Kong stocks fell on Thursday, dragged by declines in steel and coal price as well as weakness in mainland companies listed in the city. The Hang Seng index fell 0.8 percent, to 21,636.20, while the China Enterprises Index lost 1.4 percent, to 9,200.24 points. Overall, trading was thin as many investors have already departed for the weekend's Christmas break.
Nearly all sectors retreated at the close, with an index tracking energy shares the biggest decliner, down around 1.7 percent on Thursday, after commodity price tumbled. The benchmark rebar futures contract lost more than 4 percent while coke, made from coking coal, dropped more than 6 percent. The indexes were also pressured by losses on the mainland where investors remained cautious on worries about tight liquidity.