Hong Kong stocks end 0.14% lower

Hong Kong stocks fell 30.56 points, or 0.14 percent, to close at 22,225.88 on Thursday. The benchmark Hang Seng Index traded between 22,403.79 and 22, 179.50. Turnover totaled 64.92 billion HK dollars (8.36 billion U. S. dollars), compared with Wednesday's 76.23 billion HK dollars. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 34.40 points, or 0. 31 percent, to close at 10,944.35. Three sub-indices gained ground, with the Utilities sub-index rising the most by 0.42 percent, followed by the Properties which added 0.14 percent, the Finance edged up 0.05 percent, while the Commerce and Industry dropped 0.55 percent. Banking giant HSBC, which accounts for the largest weighting of the Hang Seng Index, rose 0.06 percent to 84.10 HK dollars. Its local unit Hang Seng Bank closed 0.97 percent higher at 124.50 HK dollars. Bank of East Asia, another Hong Kong's major bank, went up 0.16 percent at 30.60 HK dollars. Local bourse operator HKEX lost 0.52 percent at 134.30 HK dollars. Local developers closed mixed. Hang Lung Properties ended down 0.17 percent at 28.95 HK dollars. Henderson Land, another major developer in Hong Kong, increased 0.72 percent to 49.25 HK dollars, and Cheung Kong Holding, a powerful HK-based developer controlled by billionaire Li Ka-shing, closed down 0.36 percent to 111.60 HK dollars. Sun Hung Kai Properties fell 0.47 percent at 105.10 HK dollars. As for mainland-based financial stocks, China Construction Bank, the country's second largest bank, ended flat at 6.21 HK dollars. ICBC, the world's largest bank by market value, ended flat at 5.34 HK dollars. Bank of China closed down 0.56 percent to 3.53 HK dollars. Bank of Communications lowered 0.67 percent to 5.90 HK dollars. As for energy stocks, China's top refiner Sinopec lost 1 percent to 8.73 HK dollars. PetroChina, the country's largest oil and gas producer, ended down 0.57 percent at 10.38 HK dollars. (1 U.S. dollar equals 7.762 HK dollars)