Hong Kong stocks close 0.32% lower

Hong Kong stocks ended 0.32 percent lower on Tuesday, with the benchmark Hang Seng index falling 71.36 points to end at 22,317.20 points, after trading between 22,259.76 and 22,518.84. Turnover totaled 65.44 billion HK dollars (about 8.43 billion U.S. dollars). The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 57.30 points, or 0. 58 percent, to close at 9,740.56. Three sub-indices gained ground, with the Utility sub-index rising the most by 0.47 percent, followed by the Commerce and Industry, 0.25 percent, and the Properties, 0.24 percent. The Finance fell 1.01 percent. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, closed 2.7 percent lower at 81.65 HK dollars, while its local unit Hang Seng Bank closed up 0.8 percent at 126. 00 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong's major bank, was up 1.1 percent at 32.10 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX gained 0.2 percent to 121.00 HK dollars. Local developers Hang Lung Properties sank 0.5 percent to close at 21.00 HK dollars. Henderson Land, another major developer in Hong Kong, went up 0.9 percent to 43.20 HK dollars, and Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, was up 0.3 percent to 119.20 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, retreated 0.2 percent to 5.25 HK dollars. ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, slid 0.4 percent to 4.63 HK dollars. Bank of China increased 0.3 percent to 3.24 HK dollars. Bank of Communications, China's fifth biggest lender measured by assets, went down 0.6 percent to 4.94 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, closed flat at 7.90 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.761 HK dollars)