Hong Kong stocks close 0.98% higher

Hong Kong stocks went up 219.82 points, or 0.98 percent, to close on Tuesday at 22,596.97 points. The benchmark Hang Seng Index traded between 22,625.21 and 22, 329.99. Turnover totaled 73.88 billion HK dollars (about 9.52 billion U.S. dollars The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index ended up 1.62 percent, to close at 10,321.82. All four sub-indices ended higher with the Properties closed up 0.69 percent and the Utilities ended up 1.41 percent, the Finance closed up 1.28 percent and the Commerce and Industry ended up 0.66 percent. The Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, ended up 0.26 percent to 78.70 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, one of the largest local banks in Hong Kong, ended up 2.23 percent to 32.15 HK dollars. China Mobile, China's dominant mobile carrier, closed up 1.39 percent to 72.80 HK dollars, while another Chinese telecom giant China Unicom ended flat with 10.52 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX, moved up 1.08 percent to 131.30 HK dollars. For the local property stocks, Sun Hung Kai, HK's largest property developer by market value, ended flat with 100.00 HK dollars; Cheung Kong properties, owned by billionaire Li Ka- shing, ended down 0.52 percent to 133.20 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 up 2.02 percent to 5.56 HK dollars. ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, ended up 2.51 percent to 4.90 HK dollars. Bank of China ended up 1.75 percent to 3.48 HK dollars. As for energy stocks, China's top refiner Sinopec ended up 1.00 percent to 7.06 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, rose 0.35 percent to 8.73 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.76 HK dollar)