HK stocks end 0.08% lower

Hong Kong shares ended lower on Tuesday, with the benchmark index falling 18.88 points, or 0.08 percent, to 22,494.73. The Hang Seng Index traded between 22,449.74 and 22,588.48. Turnover totaled 118.22 billion HK dollars (about 15.25 billion US dollars). The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 7.61 points, or 0.07 percent, to close at 11,301.72. Two of the four sub-indices gained ground. The Utilities sub- index and the Commerce & Industry sub-index moved up 0.30 percent and 0.23 percent respectively. The Finance slid 0.17 percent, and the Properties went down 0.94 percent. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, lost 0.06 percent to 80.1 HK dollars, and its local unit Hang Seng Bank went down 0.34 percent at 117.7 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong\'s major bank, closed at 29.45 HK dollars without change. Mainland-based financial stocks ended higher. China Construction Bank, the country\'s second largest bank which accounts for the third largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, added 0.32 percent to 6.26 HK dollars. ICBC,The world\'s largest bank by market value, went up 0.91 percent at 5.55 HK dollars. Bank of Communications, China\'s fifth biggest lender measured by assets, rose 0.69 percent at 5.82 HK dollars. Bank of China moved up 0.58 percent at 3.49 HK dollars. Local developers moved down. Hang Lung Properties fell 0.67 percent to 29.85 HK dollars. Henderson Land, one of the major developers in Hong Kong, went down 0.36 percent to 55.5 HK dollars. Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, lost 0.75 percent to 118.4 HK dollars. As for energy stocks, China\'s top refiner Sinopec added 1.17 percent to 8.65 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country\'s largest oil and gas producer, went down 0.18 percent to 10.84 HK dollars. Kunlun Energy Co. Ltd. was the best-performing blue chip in the day, with its shares rising 1.54 percent to 15.88 HK dollars. AIA was the worst-performing blue chip in the day, with its shares falling 3.32 percent to 30.6 HK dollars. (1 US dollar equals to 7.75 HK dollars)