Hong Kong stocks seen up on lower oil prices
HONG KONG, May 28 (Reuters) - Hong Kong stocks should rise on Wednesday, with energy and property plays in focus, after oil prices fell on a stronger U.S. dollar, boosting Wall St. and fuelling confidence about consumer and business spending.
"The market should continue to rise after the price of oil fell below $130 -- that is the main factor" said Francis Lun, general manager of Fulbright Securities.
"Higher oil prices have forced investors to sell recently, but this will give them a reason to buy. Energy stocks will move today, but there will be gains across the market. Cheap property stocks should also rise."
Oil fell $4 to $128 a barrel on Tuesday, pulled down by the stronger U.S. dollar and concerns that moves to cut Asian fuel subsidies could hurt demand growth.
Lun predicted the market would climb 200 points by the end of the day.
On Tuesday, the benchmark Hang Seng Index .HSI closed up 0.64 percent at 24,282.04, led by a 3.7 percent jump in oil and gas producer CNOOC (0883.HK).
The China Enterprises Index of Hong Kong-listed mainland companies .HSCE, or H shares, rose 0.82 percent to 13,330.08.
STOCKS TO WATCH:
* Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) said on Tuesday it would exercise part of an option to buy shares of China Construction Bank (0939.HK), investing HK$14.52 billion (US$1.86 billion) and raising its stake in China's second-largest bank to 10.75 percent.
Bank of America, the No. 2 U.S. bank by assets, said it intended to buy 6 billion of CCB's Hong Kong-listed shares around June 5 for about HK$2.42 each under a formula set when it first agreed to buy a 9 percent stake in CCB investment in June 2005 for US$3 billion.[ID:nN27371888]
* China Power International Development (2380.HK) said it
planned to buy a 63 percent stake in hydro power producer Wu Ling
Power Corp from parent, a move to enlarge its operational scale
to boost capacity and to enter into new markets in China's Hunan
and Guizhou.
Wu Ling Power has a registered capital of 3.5 billion yuan ($503.7 million). For details please see here
* Shun Tak Holdings (0242.HK), a firm controlled by Macau gaming tycoon Stanley Ho, with interests ranging from property to transportation, said it would buy development rights of a vacant site in Macau's Nam Van for HK$3.15 billion, a deal to be financed internal resources and banking facilities. For details please see here
* Jiangxi Copper Co (0358.HK), China's top integrated copper producer, and China Metallurgical Group Corp, have entered into an $808 million mining contract with Afghanistan's government for the right to exploit minerals in a large copper mine field in the Central and Western mineralized zones in Aynak Mine for a period of 30 years. For details please see here ----------------------MARKET SNAPSHOT @ 0022 GMT ------------
INSTRUMENT LAST PCT CHG NET CHG S&P 500 .SPX 1385.35 0.68% 9.420 USD/JPY JPY= 104.18 -0.08% -0.080 10-YR US TSY YLD US10YT=RR 3.9207 -- 0.000 SPOT GOLD XAU= 905.8 0.11% 1.000 US CRUDE CLc1 128.39 -0.36% -0.460 DOW JONES .DJI 12548.35 0.55% 68.72 ASIA ADRS .BKAS 161.51 0.26% 0.42 ------------------------------------------------------------- FACTORS TO WATCH: * Nikkei .N225Oki awash with buy orders on chip deal report[.T] * U.S. stocks-Tech jump, oil drop lifts Wall St; AMR skids [.N] * STOCKS NEWS ASIA-Market factors, main events [STXNEWS/ASIA] * Oil drops $4 to $128 a barrel on dollar gains [O/R] * Dollar rises broadly on housing data, oil drop [USD/] * For upcoming Hong Kong events, click on [HK/DIARY] * For Hong Kong press digest, click on [PRESS/HK]
KEY HK ADR MOVERS (by % change)
Semiconductor Mfng (SMI.N)(0981.HK) +10.7
China East Air (CEA.N)(0670.HK) +8.05
APT Asia Satellite SAT.N(1135.HK) +7.1
China South Air (ZNH.N)(1055.HK) +5.2
TomoTherapy (TOMO.O) +2.9
(US$1=HK$7.8)
(Reporting by Joseph Chaney; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree)
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