The Hang Seng Index rose 0.7% to around 25,035 on Friday, outperforming most other Asian markets as improving signals from China’s economy bolstered sentiment. Elsewhere in the region, equities came under pressure following losses on Wall Street, with worries over a protracted conflict in the Middle East driving oil prices higher and pushing up global borrowing costs. Ongoing uncertainty surrounding US-Iran tensions also kept investors on edge.
Despite these headwinds, stronger industrial profit growth in China suggested improving corporate earnings, strengthening confidence in the country’s economic recovery. Expectations of additional policy support—including potential interest rate cuts and reductions in banks’ reserve requirement ratios—further underpinned the positive mood. Among notable movers were Meituan (+0.52%), Pop Mart International (+0.33%), Xiaomi Corporation (+1.79%), Kuaishou Technology (+1.23%), and Shenzhen Xunce Technology (+27.22%).
