Hong Kong stocks jump as investors shrug off US-China tensions

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (HSI) rose more than 3.3% in morning trade. It was the first opportunity investors there had to react to US President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that Washington would “begin the process of eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment” from mainland China.

Trump’s response marked an escalation in tensions between the United States and China — the President blasted Beijing for approving a national security law that fundamentally undermines Hong Kong’s autonomy.

Experts have pointed out, though, that Trump’s action will likely have little immediate impact because Hong Kong does not export a lot of goods to the US.

“Re-opening optimism reigns supreme,” Innes wrote.

Fresh data out of China indicates factories there are starting to recover from the pandemic.

Manufacturing activity in the country unexpectedly rose last month, according to a closely watched private survey. The media group Caixin said on Monday that China’s manufacturing purchasing managers index increased to 50.7 in May, up from April’s 49.4. It also beat the 49.6 that analysts polled by Refinitiv had expected. A number above the 50-point level indicates growth.

“Manufacturing production recovered faster than demand as the domestic economy recovered from the epidemic,” wrote Wang Zhe, senior economist at Caixin Insight Group, in a statement that accompanied the Caixin data. Wang added, however, that exports remain sluggish as the rest of the world continues to grapple with the virus.

Over the weekend, the Chinese government also reported that its official manufacturing PMI grew in May. The official non-manufacturing PMI survey, which measures the services sector, also indicated expansion — another suggestion that domestic economic activity is recovering, according to Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst for Asia Pacific at Oanda.

South Korea and Taiwan, though, saw manufacturing production shrink in May. And while output in the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand improved as lockdowns eased, PMIs for those Southeast Asian countries still indicated contraction instead of growth, according to Alex Holmes, Asia economist for Capital Economics.

“The bigger picture remains the same — the region’s manufacturing sector is in a deep recession,” Holmes wrote in a note on Monday. “Output is still likely to be well below normal levels for many months to come as domestic and global demand remain very depressed.”