Hang Seng Index reaches 27,000 points at the open

Hong Kong stocks rose at the opening on Thursday, tracking the upbeat sentiment of the US market.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index advanced 254 points, or 0.9 percent, to 27,019.

The Hang Seng Tech Index inched up 0.5 percent to 5,284.

HSBC (0005) extended gains after topping a record high on its robust full-year performance, jumping 2.9 percent in morning trading.

Shares of chipmakers rallied after Nvidia posted better-than-expected performance. Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (0981) went up 1.1 percent, while Hua Hong Semiconductor (1347) increased 1 percent.

In the tech sector, Tencent (0700) and Kuaishou (1024) rose 1.2 percent and 1 percent, while NetEase (9999) opened 1.9 percent lower.