HONG KONG (Nikkei Markets) -- Hong Kong shares ended higher after a choppy day on Thursday, aided by a confident outlook for corporate earnings and buying support from investors in mainland China.
The benchmark Hang Seng Index climbed 0.7% to 31,044.25 after changing direction several times during the day. Market operator Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing, Sino Land, New World Development and Sun Hung Kai Properties -- all of which reported earnings earlier this week -- gained 2.7%, 4.1%, 1.9% and 0.8%, respectively. Social-media major Tencent Holdings and Ping An Insurance Group, both expected to post results later this month, increased 3.4% and 1.5%, respectively.
