HK stocks end 0.24 pct lower

Hong Kong shares ended lower on Monday, with the weighted index falling 52.17 points, or 0.24 percent, at 21,861.81. The benchmark Hang Seng Index traded between 21,827.27 and 21, 986.36. Turnover totaled 46.31 billion HK dollars (about 5.98 billion U.S. dollars). The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 38.58 points, or 0. 36 percent, to close at 10,568.41. Two of the four sub-indices gained ground. The Utilities sub- index and the Properties sub-index moved up 0.18 percent and 0.04 percent respectively. The Commerce & Industry lost 0.27 percent, and the Finance went down 0.32 percent. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, lost 0.13 percent to close at 77.1 HK dollars, and its local unit Hang Seng Bank went down 0.34 percent at 117.1 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong\'s major bank, rose 0.34 percent to 29.65 HK dollars. As for Mainland-based financial stocks, China Construction Bank, the country\'s second largest bank which accounts for the third largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, lost 0.34 percent to 5. 92 HK dollars. ICBC,The world\'s largest bank by market value, fell 0.38 percent to 5.22 HK dollars. Bank of Communications, China\'s fifth biggest lender measured by assets, moved down 1.24 percent to 5.57 HK dollars. Bank of China closed at 3.23 HK dollars without change. Local developers ended mixed. Hang Lung Properties rose 1.27 percent to 27.95 HK dollars. Henderson Land, one of the major developers in Hong Kong, went up 0.37 percent to 54.95 HK dollars. Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, fell 0.09 percent to 117.2 HK dollars. As for energy stocks, China\'s top refiner Sinopec lost 1.19 percent to 8.28 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country\'s largest oil and gas producer, went down 0.97 percent to 10.18 HK dollars. Belle Int\'l was the best-performing blue chip in the day, with its shares rising 3.06 percent to 16.18 HK dollars. Tencent was the worst-performing blue chip in the day, with its shares falling 1.56 percent to 252.4 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals to 7.75 HK dollars)