FX.co ★ Hong Kong Shares Rise Slightly

In early trade on Wednesday, Hong Kong's stock market experienced a rise, climbing 65 points or 0.3% to reach 23,404. This increase came after a nearly two-week low was recorded the previous day. The upward movement was driven by gains in the technology, consumer, and property sectors. Investors reacted favorably to new trade data, which revealed that both exports and imports in Hong Kong had accelerated at their quickest rate in 13 months. Concurrently, U.S. futures showed slight growth following modest improvements on Wall Street, amid anticipation of President Trump's April 2 tariff deadline. In China, optimistic outlooks for mainland stocks were bolstered as Morgan Stanley increased its forecast for the second time in slightly over a month, attributing this to enhanced earnings prospects supporting stock valuations. However, further market gains were tempered by caution ahead of the release of February's industrial profit figures in China, scheduled for Thursday. Among notable stock movements, knitwear manufacturer Shenzhou International surged approximately 8% to achieve a 12-month high, propelled by robust profit growth. Other significant movers in the large-cap sector included Haidilao International Holdings with a 5.5% gain, Zhejiang Leapmotor at 5.1%, WH Group Ltd. at 4.7%, and Kingdee International Software at 4.3%.