PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - Aug 3

HONG KONG Aug 3 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Hong Kong newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

-- Chinese developers including Guangzhou's Evergrande Real Estate, Shanghai's Glorious Property Holdings and Shenzhen's Fantasia Group are planning to list in Hong Kong to raise billions of dollars, despite Beijing's warning of a possible bubble in the mainland housing market.

-- Swire Pacific (0019.HK) is expected to post a 22.3 percent year-on-year rise in intermim profit to about HK$4 billion as its aviation business returned to the black and on rental income from a Beijing retail property, according to analysts.

HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL

-- Listing hopeful Sinopharm Holdings, China's largest pharmaceutical products distributor, aims to list in September, raising up to HK$5.5 billion in an initial public share offering in Hong Kong. A hearing on the listing is expected later this month and a road show will start early next month, according to sources.

-- Hang Seng Bank (0011.HK) is expected to report a 20 percent year-on-year drop in interim profit on a deteriorating operating environment and an increase in provisions for bad debt, according to analysts.

HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES

-- HSBC (0005.HK) is expected to post a 40-70 percent drop in first-half earnings as its U.S. business is expected to extend a loss during the period, analysts estimated.

SING TAO DAILT

-- Chinese real estate developer Guangzhou R&F Properties (2777.HK) said contracted sales in July totoalled 1.814 billion yuan ($265.6 million) and its was confident of achieving its yearly sales target.

APPLE DAILY

-- Citigroup estimated that interim net profit at Hong Kong Electric (0006.HK) would fall 13 percent to HK$2.75 billion, mainly because the permitted rate of return was lowered from the original 13.5 percent to 9.99 percent. Citigroup also expected a lower interim profit from CLP Holdings (0002.HK), Hong Kong and China Gas (0003.HK).

For Chinese newspapers, see...............[PRESS/CN]

For Taiwan newspapers, see............[PRESS/TW] ($1=6.831 Yuan)