Hong Kong stocks close 0.34% higher

Hong Kong stocks went up 76.80 points, or 0.34 percent, to close on Wednesday at 22,664.52 points. The benchmark Hang Seng Index traded between 22,708.40 and 22, 534.19. Turnover totaled 54.30 billion HK dollars (about 7.0 billion U.S.dollars). The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index ended flat, to close at 10057.52. Two sub-indices ended higher with the Properties closed up 0.68 percent, the Finance ended up 0.78 percent. Two sub-indices ended lower with the Utilities closed down 0.78 percent and the Commerce and Industry ended down 0.16 percent. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, ended up 1.80 percent with 84.85 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, one of the largest local banks in Hong Kong, bounced 4.79 percent to 32.85 HK dollars. China Mobile, China's dominant mobile carrier, ended up 0.07 percent to 73.70 HK dollars, while another Chinese telecom giant China Unicom fell 0.77 percent to 10.29 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX moved down 0.41 percent to 123.00 HK dollars. For the local property stocks, Sun Hung Kai, HK's largest property developer by market value, ended up 1.34 percent at 98.15 HK dollars; Cheung Kong properties, owned by billionaire Li Ka- shing, rose 0.59 percent to 118.50 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, ended flat with 5.43 HK dollars. ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, ended flat with 4.84 HK dollars. Bank of China ended flat with 3.29 HK dollars. As for energy stocks, China's top refiner Sinopec edged up 0.83 percent to 6.05 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, rose 0.51 percent to 7.95 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.76 HK dollar)