The Hang Seng rose 98 points, or 0.4%, to close at 26,585 on Wednesday, snapping a four-session losing streak as tech and consumer stocks led gains. Sentiment was aided by a modest uptick in U.S. futures, while traders positioned ahead of President Trump’s address at the World Economic Forum later in the day. In China, equities edged higher after regulators moved to curb market volatility, taking action against hundreds of abnormal trading practices. Stock exchanges also started investigating some listed firms over allegedly misleading disclosures, helping stabilize confidence. Still, upside was capped by caution ahead of Hong Kong’s December inflation data and the release of Q1 business sentiment figures. Among individual movers, China Vanke surged 4.6% after bondholders agreed to defer repayment of 60% of the principal on a CNY 1.1 billion puttable bond by one year. Meanwhile, ASMPT climbed 4.3% after saying it is evaluating strategic options for its Surface Mount Technology segment.
