HongKong stocks end 0.14% lower

Hong Kong stocks fell 0.14 percent on Tuesday. The benchmark Hang Seng index closed down 31. 75 points to end at 23,381.51 points, after trading between 23,306.17 and 23,515.86. Turnover totaled 75.09 billion HK dollars (about 9.67 billion U.S. dollars). The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 0.03 points, or 3.07 percent, to close at 12,006.82. Two sub-indices gained ground, with the Finance sub-index rising by 0.11 percent and the Properties 0.05 percent. The Commerce and Industry fell 0.53 percent, while the Utility lost 0.02 percent. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, fell 0.9 percent to 83.85 HK dollars, while its local unit Hang Seng Bank closed flat at 119.00 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong's major bank, closed 0.6 percent higher to 31.10 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX jumped 1.4 percent to 148.90 HK dollars. Local developers Hang Lung Properties ended flat at 30.80 HK dollars. Henderson Land, another major developer in Hong Kong, gained 1.2 percent to 58.55 HK dollars, and Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, closed up 0.2 percent to 127.70 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, moved up 0.3 percent at 6.54 HK dollars. ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, climbed 0.9 percent at 5.86 HK dollars. Bank of China added 0.3 at 3.71 HK dollars. Bank of Communications, China's fifth biggest lender measured by assets, increased 1.0 percent to 6.31 HK dollars. As for energy stocks, China's top refiner Sinopec declined 0.2 percent to 9.18 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, closed 0.9 percent lower at 10.90 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.751 HK dollars)