China stocks fall after soft factory activity data; Hong Kong down

  • 4/30/2021
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* SSEC -0.5%, CSI300 -0.3%, HSI -1.5% * HK->Shanghai Connect daily quota used -0.9%, Shanghai->HK daily quota used 0% * FTSE China A50 -0.3% SHANGHAI, April 30 (Reuters) - China stocks slipped on Friday, after the country’s factory activity growth slowed in April, with Shanghai shares set for weekly decline on worries over policy tightening and Sino-U.S. tensions. ** The CSI300 index fell 0.3% to 5,150.71 by the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.5% to 3,457.09. ** For the week, CSI300 firmed 0.3%, while SSEC eased 0.5%. ** China’s factory activity expanded at a slower pace and missed forecasts in April as supply bottlenecks and rising costs weighed on production and overseas demand lost momentum. ** Despite the soft data, analysts and traders said overall solid economic growth allowed Beijing more leeway to rein in bubbles in its financial markets. ** China’s economic recovery quickened sharply in the first quarter with record growth of 18.3%, shaking off the hit from last year’s slump. ** “People are still worried about China’s monetary policy, and the market remains pessimistic given the current monetary conditions,” said Song Zhenyu, a fund manager at Beijing Jiayi Asset Management Company. ** Song said any gradual policy shift would happen with a tightening bias as the central bank had recently noted the rapid rise in commodities prices, raising worries over inflation. ** Tensions between Beijing and Washington also added to the pressure on the market. ** U.S. President Joe Biden took aim at China in his first speech to Congress, pledging to maintain a strong U.S. military presence in the Indo-Pacific and promising to boost technological development and trade. ** In Hong Kong, tech stocks led the slide on Friday, as Beijing widened its crackdown on fintech firms. ** Chinese financial watchdogs on Thursday summoned 13 internet platforms engaged in finance business, including heavyweights Tencent and ByteDance, to order them to strengthen compliance with regulations, the central bank said. ** The Hang Seng index dropped 1.5% to 28,856.26,while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index lost 1.6% to 10,870.34. (Reporting by Luoyan Liu and Josh Horwitz; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)

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