HONG KONG stocks end 0.30% lower

Hong Kong stocks closed down 68.71 points or 0.30 percent, at 22,668.30 on Thursday. The benchmark Hang Seng Index traded between 22,706.07 and 22,552.31. Turnover totaled 56.21 billion HK dollars (7.24 billion U.S. dollars). The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index lost 92.62 points, or 0.85 percent, to close at 10,825.35. All four sub-indices lost ground, with the Commerce and Industry dipping most by 0.64 percent, followed by the Utility 0.47 percent, the Finance 0.10 percent and the Properties 0.02 percent respectively. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, went up 0.77 percent to 85.15 HK dollars, while its local unit Hang Seng Bank closed 0.77 percent lower at 128.8 HK dollars. China Mobile, China's dominant mobile carrier, slipped 0.29 percent to 84.7 HK dollars, while another Chinese telecom giant China Unicom, increased 0.18 percent to 11.16 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX edged down 0.15 percent to 130.4 HK dollars. As for local property developers, Sun Hung Kai, HK's largest property developer by market value, went down 1.96 percent to 110 HK dollars; Cheung Kong properties, owned by billionaire Li Ka- shing, slumped 0.51 percent 116.2 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 0.46 percent lower at 6.47 HK dollars. ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, declined 0.73 percent to 5.42 HK dollars. Bank of China went down 0.28 percent to 3.62 HK dollars. As for energy stocks, China's top refiner Sinopec lost 1.3 percent to 8.38 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, fell 2.13 percent to 9.66 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.76 HK dollars)