HSI Slides For Fourth Day As Asian Markets Fall

Hong Kong stocks were down for the fourth day in a row, as investors' hopes of a big interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve faded after last week's strong US jobs report.

Investor optimism was dented by the stronger-than-expected US jobs report – seen as a bellwether for the world's biggest economy. Hopes for a resumption of trade talks between Beijing and Washington are also fading.

Focus is now returning to the state of China's economic health, with the mainland due to publish a slew of economic data over the next week on inflation, money supply, loans, and trade.

The Hang Seng Index ended the day down 0.8 percent, or 215 points, to 28,116.

Sands China was the biggest gainer – up 1.7 percent. Geely Automobile was the biggest loser, down 3.7 percent.

Across the border, the Shanghai Composite Index slipped 0.2 percent to 2,928. The Shenzhen Composite Index gained 0.2 percent, to close at 1,558.

Most Asian markets extended losses. Seoul was down three-fifths of a percent, Taipei dropped half a percent, Singapore was down 0.2 percent and Sydney was down a tenth of a percent.

But Tokyo managed to buck the trend, ending up 0.1 percent.