HONG KONG – Hong Kong shares tracked broader Asia lower on Monday, with investors staying away amid a week-long holiday on the mainland.
The Hang Seng Index was down 143.32 points, or 0.83 percent, at 17,079.51, the lowest close since April 2009. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index fell 0.97 percent.
New World Development was the biggest loser on the Hang Seng Index, falling as much as 7.4 percent to its lowest since December 2008 after setting a lower sales target for the mainland.
The top gainer on the Hang Seng was Country Garden Holdings, which jumped 8.79 percent.
Hong Kong-listed shares of mainland property developers jumped on expectation of further measures by local governments to shore up their markets in the fourth quarter.
The sub-index of the Hang Seng tracking energy shares rose 0.3 percent, while the IT sector dipped 1.14 percent and the financial sector ended 1.57 percent lower. The property sector rose 1.75 percent.
The top gainers among H-shares were Country Garden, followed by Country Garden Services, surging 8.13 percent and Longfor Group, up by 7.98 percent.
Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was weaker by 0.77 percent, while Japan's Nikkei index closed up 1.07 percent.