Protests Continue To Hammer Hong Kong Stocks

Hong Kong stocks dropped almost 1 percent on Thursday, extending the week's sell-off as the city reeled from another day of protests that badly hit public transport and shuttered schools and some businesses.

The Hang Seng Index sank 0.9 percent, to 26,323.

The city saw another night of unrest in the city, which has seen a pick-up in violence since the weekend, and the disruption of public transport for a fourth day.

The standoff has hammered the Hang Seng Index – which had lost around four percent by Wednesday night – while there are concerns about possible intervention by Beijing. Property firms were again in the firing line, with big-names including Henderson Land and Sun Hung Kai Properties down around 1 percent.

On the mainland, the Shanghai Composite Index added 0.2 percent, to 2,909 while the Shenzhen Composite Index rose 0.6 percent, to 1,624.

Tokyo fell 0.8 percent after data showed Japan's economy grew at a slower pace than forecast in the third quarter as it was hit by trade wars.

Taipei eased 0.2 percent, Manila dropped 0.6 percent, Singapore shed 0.3 percent, Jakarta sank more than one percent and Mumbai was flat. (AFP)