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Hong Kong shares hit lowest level since 2009 | |
(38 minutes later) | |
Shares in Hong Kong have slumped to the lowest level since the global financial crisis, after a major speech by the city's leader on Wednesday. | |
The benchmark Hang Seng index fell by more than 3% to its lowest level since May 2009, before regaining some ground. | |
Investors are also concerned about the threat of a global economic slowdown as central banks around the world raise interest rates to tackle rising prices. | |
One financial expert told the BBC that the "panic selling is ridiculous". | |
In his first policy address yesterday, Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee announced measures to boost security and plans to attract more overseas talent to the territory. | |
However, he did not elaborate on economic targets for the city, which has lost ground to rival Asian financial centres like Singapore. | |
Hong Kong's economy is currently in a technical recession, after seeing two three-month periods in a row of contraction this year. | |
Until recently the city had some of the world's toughest coronavirus rules as it followed China's zero Covid policies. | |
"The Hang Seng has hit a 13-year low and nothing is really helping the fragile sentiment," Dickie Wong, executive director of Kingston Securities said. | |
"There's also a sense that tax rebates are not enough to draw foreigners back to Hong Kong," he added. | |
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Traders were also concerned about the Hong Kong government's "unprecedented silence on key economic indicators," Kelvin Tay, regional chief investment officer at UBS Global Wealth Management said. | |
However, Mr Tay added that investors were mostly concerned about "the economic outlook [of China] and a rise of Covid cases in the middle of the party congress in Beijing". | |
More than 2,000 delegates have gathered this week in Beijing to elect leaders and debate key policies at the Communist Party congress. | |
On Sunday, President Xi Jinping is expected to be confirmed for a historic third term as party chief. | |
Other stock markets in the Asia-Pacific region were also lower on Thursday, with benchmark share indexes in Japan, South Korea and Australia losing ground. | |
Meanwhile, the Japanese yen weakened to a fresh 32-year low of more than 150 to the US dollar. | |
That triggered further speculation that Japanese authorities will attempt to prop up the currency for the second time in the space of just a few weeks. | |
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