Hang seng index extends losses to below 26,000 points on Tuesday

Hong Kong stocks extended their losses to below 26,000 points on Tuesday over worries that the Middle East conflict could drag on.

The benchmark Hang Seng Index opened higher in the morning but closed down 291 points, or 1.1 percent to 25,768 points in the afternoon.

The market turnover continued to hike, rising 4 percent to HK$370.5 billion. 

Energy stocks led the gains with PetroChina (0857) and Cnooc (0883) up by over 5 percent and 3.2 percent, although China Petroleum and Chemical (0386) slid 2.7 percent. 

Gold-related and Chinese consumption stocks remained weak, with Zijin Mining (2899) and Pop Mart International (9992) both losing over 5.5 percent.

The Hang Seng Tech Index declined by 2.6 percent to 4,876 points.

In the mainland, the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index fell by 1.4 percent to 4,122 points and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange Component Index was down by 3 percent to 14,022 points.