Hong Kong's three major indices all declined. At the close, the Hang Seng Index fell 0.29% to 24,761.13, the Hang Seng Tech Index dropped 0.41%, and the China Enterprises Index slipped 0.09%.
Among tech and internet stocks, decliners outnumbered gainers, with Lenovo Group Ltd and Baidu Inc each falling more than 2%, while Bilibili Inc dropped over 1%. Meanwhile, Xiaomi Corp and NetEase Inc each gained more than 1%.
Oil stocks were active against the broader downtrend, with PetroChina Co Ltd rising more than 2%. Tensions in the Middle East continued to simmer, pushing Brent crude settlement back above $103 a barrel, ending a five-day losing streak. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly, stated that Iran would not allow vessels to pass freely through the Strait of Hormuz while the country remains under sanctions.
Memory chip-related stocks led the declines, with GigaDevice Semiconductor Inc dropping more than 5%. Overnight, US memory and other tech stocks fell amid hawkish signals and a Treasury selloff. Notably, "Big Short" investor Michael Burry said he was increasing his short position against Micron Technology Inc, emphasizing that the move was "quite sizable" and warning that a cycle reversal would trigger "violent selling." In addition, Acer CEO Jason Chen recently warned that rising memory chip production in mainland China could eventually ease supply constraints and pressure prices, with the impact becoming more apparent around the end of 2027. This provided fresh support for Burry's bearish view on memory stocks.
Gold stocks tumbled, with Everest Gold plunging more than 8%. Federal Reserve Governor Barr publicly made hawkish remarks, noting that inflation risks have risen again while downside risks in the labor market have somewhat diminished. Under the baseline scenario, the Fed may need to further adjust its policy stance to ensure inflation smoothly returns to the target level. These comments shattered previous aggressive bets on an easing cycle and reinforced pessimistic expectations that a high interest rate environment will persist for longer.