Hang Seng Index Ekes Out Small Gains

The Hang Seng Index finished in positive territory on Thursday, bucking the trend in the region where investors expressed concern if a stimulus package could be hammed out in the United States before next month's elections.

Despite starting lower and dropping nearly 200 points at one stage, the local benchmark recouped its losses to log a five-day winning streak, finishing 31 points or 0.1 percent higher at 24,786.

Turnover was HK$107.2 billion.

The top performer on the index was Sands China, which rallied 5.2 percent after the casino operator announced a third-quarter loss of US$562 million but said it has been recovering and optimistic about growth. Another gaming blue-chip, Galaxy Entertainment, jumped 5 percent.

Banks also helped lift the index. ICBC, Bank of Communications and China Construction Banks each added more than 2 percent, while HSBC advanced 0.6 percent.

But China Unicom tumbled 11.5 percent after posting disappointing quarterly results.

Mainland and most regional stocks finished lower.

The Shanghai Composite Index gave up 0.4 percent, while the blue chip CSI-300 index dropped 0.3 percent.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei was weighed down by a higher yen against the US dollar and lost 0.7 percent. The Kospi in Seoul declined 0.7 percent and Sydney inched down 0.3 percent. But Taiwan added 0.3 percent, led by chipmakers.