FX.co ★ Hang Seng Little Changed Ahead of China Data

The Hang Seng Index ended nearly unchanged at 24,911 on Wednesday, after experiencing a slight decline in the morning session. Market participants absorbed remarks from President Trump, who indicated the U.S. was nearing a trade agreement with China and expressed plans to meet President Xi by the end of the year if a deal is finalized. Investors were also focused on upcoming crucial Chinese economic indicators, such as trade data on Thursday and inflation figures on Saturday, amid ongoing concerns about increasing trade barriers and deflationary pressures. Additionally, the markets were on edge due to the potential announcement of a new U.S. tariff targeting semiconductors, which could be imposed as soon as next week. Despite this, consumer and tech stocks saw moderate gains as U.S. futures climbed, ahead of anticipated corporate earnings reports and speeches from Federal Reserve officials scheduled for later today. Conversely, sectors including financials and real estate experienced slight declines. Noteworthy stock movements included advances by Pop Mart International (up 7.9%), BYD Electronics (up 6.7%), and Akeso Inc. (up 4.7%), while Cathay Pacific suffered a steep drop of 9.1% following disappointing first-half results, accompanied by decreases in Li Auto (down 5.4%) and Anta Sports (down 3.2%).