After a week of paper losses enough to bankrupt a medium-sized country, the top tycoons yesterday were sitting on paper profits enough to start a Hong Kong space programme.

Biggest winners were the Kwok brothers - Walter, Thomas and Raymond whose Sun Hung Kai Properties shares ended yesterday worth an additional $8.1 billion.

That is, more than twice last year's government spending on the environment and five times the cost of the recent Pathfinder mission to Mars.

"Superman" Li Ka-shing saw his shares in Cheung Kong (Holdings) rise by a total of $5.9 billion in just six

hours of trading yesterday equivalent to more than two months of profits at software giant Microsoft.

Tycoons who had strong links to China, who were last week's biggest losers, had the most to celebrate.

Larry Yung Chi-kin saw his personal stake in Citic Pacific rise by $1.8 billion to $11.2 billion. Crucially, the $5.40 rise in Citic shares to

$33.90 puts them above the $33 price he paid for them earlier this year.

Lesser names also made big profits. David Chu Yu-lin missed yesterday's provisional Legco meeting because of a business trip to China, but the $18 million profits on the shares of his property firm would be enough to buy 13 top-of-the-range Mercedes S320 saloons.

All rights reserved.