SINGAPORE — Hong Kong-listed shares of Chinese chipmaker SMIC fell in Monday trade following reports that the U.S. has imposed restrictions on exports to the firm due to risks of military use.
Shares of SMIC listed in the city dropped nearly 5%, as of their final hour of trading.
Meanwhile, shares of China Evergrande Group in Hong Kong soared more than 21%. That came after the firm announced Friday that its “operations remain stable and healthy while financial conditions remain sound.”
Evergrande shares in Hong Kong had seen a Friday plunge on the back of reports on a leaked document that showed the Chinese property developer was seeking government support to approve a restructuring plan, warning of an impending cash crunch.
Overall, the Hang Seng index rose 0.92%, with shares of Xiaomi rising more than 2%.
Mainland Chinese stocks lagged on the day, with the Shanghai composite fractionally lower at about 3,217.53 while the Shenzhen component shed 0.415% to around 12,760.93.
China’s industrial profits rose 19.1% in August, the country’s National Bureau of Statistics announced over the weekend. Chinese economic data has been watched by investors for signs of the country’s continued recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
Elsewhere, in Japan, the Nikkei 225 added 1.32% to close at 23,511.62 while the Topix index gained 1.69% to finish its trading day at 1,661.93. South Korea’s Kospi rose 1.29% to close at 2,308.08, with entertainment shares in the country jumping after K-pop sensation BTS’ label Big Hit Entertainment priced its anticipated IPO at the top end of the range.
Over in Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 slipped 0.21% to end its trading day at 5,952.30.
Overall, the MSCI Asia ex-Japan index rose 0.64%.
Currencies and oil
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the greenback against a basket of its peers, was at 94.539 after rising from levels below 93.0 last week.
The Japanese yen traded at 105.40 per dollar following an earlier low of 105.68 against the greenback. The Australian dollar changed hands at $0.7047 after sliding from levels above $0.72 last week.
Oil prices were lower in the afternoon of Asian trading hours, with international benchmark Brent crude futures down 0.72% to $41.62 per barrel. U.S. crude futures also shed 0.84% to $39.91 per barrel.
