HONG KONG (Nikkei Markets) -- Hong Kong shares headed for their first gains of the week as Chinese financial stocks advanced Wednesday morning ahead of third-quarter earnings announcements and the Chinese Communist Party unveiled its top leaders for the next five years.
The Hang Seng Index had risen 0.7% to 28,360.59 by noon. A gauge of mainland companies listed in Hong Kong gained 1.1%. Ping An Insurance Group, due to report third-quarter earnings Friday, added 2%, while China Construction Bank (CCB) climbed 0.9%. Oil and gas producers PetroChina and CNOOC added 1% and 1.9%, respectively, after U.S. crude prices rose for a third consecutive day on Tuesday.
