Hong Kong stocks ended down on Thursday, after the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates and struck a more hawkish tone, while downbeat Chinese data and renewed trade war fears curbed risk appetite. The Hang Seng index ended 0.9 percent lower at 30,440.17 points, while the China Enterprises Index lost 0.7 percent to 11,950.70 points.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) raised the base rate charged through overnight discount window by 25 basis points on Thursday to 2.25 percent after the U.S Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter of a percentage point.
The financial sector ended down 0.6 percent after the HKMA rate hike announcement, with China Citic Bank and China Construction Bank closing down 1.7 percent and 1.1 percent respectively.
The top gainers among H-shares were New China Life Insurance Co Ltd, which ended up 1.74 percent, followed by Anhui Conch Cement Co Ltd, which closed 1.43 percent higher and CITIC Securities Co Ltd, which ended up by 1.15 percent.