Ed Sheeran weaves Persian music into new song, Azizam    Rain expected in Makkah and Jeddah on Saturday    Al-Jadaan: Crown Prince's directives confirm government's ability to bring back balance to real estate market    China retaliates against Trump's trade war with 34% reciprocal tariffs on US goods    Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli escalation, targeting of civilians and Saudi warehouse in Gaza    Danish PM dismisses US desire to annex Greenland 'You cannot annex another country'    Macron lashes out against Trump's 'brutal' tariffs, calls for a pause in investment    Saudi Crown Prince, Iranian president discuss regional developments in Eid phone call    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    New Laws of Commercial Registration and Trade Names take effect on Thursday    New fleet of 76 public transport buses starts operation in Jeddah on Tuesday Environmentally friendly electric buses introduced for first time    Foreign investors are allowed to engage in real estate business outside Makkah and Madinah Commercial speculation should not be the purpose of real estate transaction    Aubameyang fires Al Qadsiah into King's Cup final with stoppage-time winner over Al Raed    Cristiano Ronaldo joins Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves    Musk's X is suing India, as Tesla and Starlink plan entry    Tesla sales plunge after backlash against Elon Musk    Swedish table tennis legend Jörgen Persson appointed head coach of Saudi national team    Danilo Pereira fires Al Ittihad into King's Cup final with dramatic stoppage-time double    Screen time in bed linked to insomnia, study finds    Mexico bans junk food in schools to fight childhood obesity epidemic    Sweet sales surge ahead of Eid as Saudi chocolate imports top 123 million kg in 2024    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    King Salman prays for peace and stability for Palestinians in Ramadan message King reaffirms Saudi Arabia's commitment to serving the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Shanghai shares down, China Unicom extends slump
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 12 - 01 - 2012

Hong Kong shares fell for the first time in four sessions on Thursday, with China Unicom among the top drags on the benchmark Hang Seng Index and Chinese inflation data giving investors little incentive to chase a New Year rally further, Reuters reported.
China Unicom , the country's second-largest mobile operator, was also among the top drags on Shanghai, extending losses on concern over increasing competition and earnings risks.
The Hang Seng Index finished down 0.3 percent at 19,095.4 points, close to the bottom of its trading range, after testing resistance seen at 19,242, its December peak.
Trading was choppy in Hong Kong and the mainland, with the 2,300-level continuing to hinder the Shanghai Composite Index , which closed down 0.1 percent at 2,275 points in the lowest A-share turnover this week to date.
China will post fourth-quarter GDP data on Jan 17, along with December industrial output, investment and retail sales data, which could spur gains and help benchmark indices break technical resistance.
Data on Thursday showed China's inflation rate eased to a 15-month low in December, but came in just above market expectations, crimping risk appetite after the Hang Seng Index and the China Enterprises Index had gained 3 and 5.3 percent, respectively, in the first three sessions of the week.
Wong, vice-president for equity sales at Tanrich Securities.
China Unicom shed 4.4 percent in Hong Kong in more than five times its 30-day average volume, sinking below its 200-day moving average to the lowest since Oct. 24. It has lost 9.3 percent in the last three sessions.
In Shanghai, China Unicom fell 3 percent in thrice its 30-day average volume -- its worst loss in a month.
A 44 percent gain in Hong Kong last year made China Unicom the top performer among Hang Seng Index components as investors sought the relative safety of its subscriber momentum amid uncertainty over the pace of the slowdown in China's economy.
But competition in the already fierce mainland telecoms market is intensifying, with smaller rival China Telecom Corp Ltd gaining iPhone operating rights in mainland China and bigger rival China Mobile Ltd getting better quality smartphones, CLSA analysts wrote in a note dated Jan. 11.
China Unicom is trading at 26.4 times forward 12-month earnings in Hong Kong after its strong 2011 gains, which is 50 percent more than its historical median, according to Thomson Reuters StarMine.
In Hong Kong, GCL-Poly Energy Holdings Ltd soared 13.7 percent, Trony Solar Holdings Co Ltd rose 6.5 percent and Solargiga Energy Holdings Ltd jumped 15.8 percent.
Chinese material names also extended their recent strength. Angang Steel gained 3.2 percent, while Anhui Conch Cement gained 0.6 percent.
Anhui Conch reported earlier in the day that it expected 2011 net profit to jump more than 80 percent.
Market watchers said some institutional investors had started to inch back into growth-sensitive sectors, which were among the hardest hit among Chinese stocks that suffered last year in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
-- SPA


Clic here to read the story from its source.