Hong Kong stocks close 0.07% lower

Hong Kong stocks ended 0.07 percent lower on Wednesday, with the benchmark Hang Seng index falling 14.81 points to end at 21,568.69 points, after trading between 21,485.51 and 21,614.53. Turnover totaled 64.17 billion HK dollars (about 8.27 billion U.S. dollars). The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 18.42 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 9,360.70. Three sub-indices lost ground, with the Utility sub-index falling the most by 0.52 percent, followed by the Commerce and Industry 0.1 percent and the Finance 0.08 percent. The Properties rose 0.42 percent. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, closed 0.5 percent lower at 76.80 HK dollars, while its local unit Hang Seng Bank closed up 1.1 percent at 120. 00 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong's major bank, was up 0.8 percent at 30.35 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX lost 0.3 percent to 115.30 HK dollars. Local developers Hang Lung Properties grew 0.5 percent to 20.60 HK dollars. Henderson Land, another major developer in Hong Kong, went up 0.2 percent to 41.45 HK dollars, and Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka- shing, was up 1.2 percent to 122.60 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 0.4 percent to 5.01 HK dollars. ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, closed flat at 4.41 HK dollars. Bank of China slid 0.6 percent to 3.09 HK dollars. Bank of Communications, China's fifth biggest lender measured by assets, went up 0.4 percent to 4.64 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, closed flat at 7.69 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.761 HK dollars)