Hong Kong shares were lower by midday on Wednesday, dragged down by sharp losses in heavyweight technology stocks that more than offset stability in mainland Chinese markets.
The benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 110 points, or 0.41 percent, to 26,724 by the lunch break, with turnover reaching HK$151.4 billion. The Hang Seng Tech Index slid 2.2 percent to 5,347.
Technology heavyweights led the decline. Tencent (0700) dropped 3.4 percent and Xiaomi (1810) fell 2.6 percent, while Alibaba (9988) slipped 0.9 percent and Meituan (3690) lost 2.2 percent. The four stocks together shaved more than 130 points off the benchmark index.
Trip.com (9961) was the worst-performing blue chip by percentage, tumbling more than 6 percent by midday.
In Chinese mainland, markets were mixed. The Shanghai Composite Index hovered near flat at 4,067, after rising as much as about 0.5 percent earlier in the session to touch 4,087. The Shenzhen Component Index slipped 0.92 percent to 13,997, fluctuating around the 14,000 level.
