HONG KONG (NewsRise) -- Hong Kong stocks climbed for the sixth time in seven days on Friday as U.S. bond yields retreated and China stepped up its defense of the yuan.
The Hang Seng Index had risen 0.4% to 22,546.76 by the midday break. The gauge is now up 4.5% from the five-month low it touched just before the Christmas break. A measure of real estate stocks listed in the city advanced for a sixth straight day, with Hang Lung Properties gaining 2% to HK$17.30 after 10-year Treasury yields fell the most in 4 months overnight. PetroChina rose 2% to HK$6.09 as crude prices got a boost from reports that Saudi Arabia had cut output.
