HK shares end 0.28pc higher

HONG KONG, Aug 4 (AFP): Hong Kong stocks closed up 0.28 per cent on Monday, with China bucking a regional trend as other Asian markets were unsettled by drops on Wall Street and debt concerns in Portugal.
The benchmark Hang Seng Index rose 67.65 points to 24,600.08 on turnover of HK$67.4 billion (US$8.70 billion).
In Hong Kong, Internet giant Tencent gained 0.78 per cent to HK$129.2, while China Mobile slipped 0.12 per cent to HK$85.2.
HSBC shed 0.85 per cent to HK$82.05 and CCB rose 0.34 to $5.94.
In China heavyweight blue-chip stocks were the biggest beneficiaries of market reforms, dealers said.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index jumped 1.74 per cent, or 38.03 points, to 2,223.33 on turnover of 140.1 billion yuan ($22.6 billion).
The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, gained 1.40 per cent, or 16.03 points, to 1,164.32 on turnover of 138.3 billion yuan.
China could start a pilot programme that allows mutual connectivity between the Shanghai and Hong Kong stock markets as early as October, state media has reported, which investors view as a boost to domestic shares.
"Blue-chip stocks were supported by continuous capital inflows and they will likely continue to perform well before the launch of the Shanghai-Hong Kong connectivity programme," Haitong Securities analyst Zhang Qi told AFP.