The Hong Kong Stock Market (Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited, or HKEx) has never had easy pickings! The territory has always functioned as a satellite of a major power, and this continues to be the case. However, adversity has built the Hong Kong stock market character, and it thrives through sheer excellence in its investing and trading conditions. It specializes in international trade, and has had a special eye on the Chinese mainland even when it was under British rule. The amazing growth of the Chinese economy has outpaced financial and market reforms in the nation. The Hong Kong stock market offers a stable means for international investors to participate in the industrial evolution of China, without putting their funds at the kinds of risks which exchanges on the mainland entail.
There is more than mainland China to keep international investors interested in the Hong Kong stock market. The Hang Seng serves as a key index of the global economy. The stock market selects companies for this famed index through transparent and exacting criteria, which make it truly representative of investing conditions in the region. The transfer of the territory from British rule to the regime in Beijing, and the SARS virus outbreak have buffeted the Hong Kong economy beyond measure, but the local stock market has remained rock solid through this turbulence with its professional and impartial approach to exchange functions.
Fortunately, mainland China has stood by its commitment to protect Hong Kong’s autonomy with respect to financial affairs, so international players and the local financial community are confident that the stock market will be able to hold its own in the emerging scene of globalization. Limited potential for local industry, and the absence of substantial natural resources, mean that the Hong Kong stock market will have to continue its dependence on international commerce. The Hong Kong stock market is one of the 10 largest in the world in terms of market capitalization, and is well set to retain its dominance in the foreseeable future. HKEx has moved to a new complex in 2006, which has an Exhibition Hall, and which is entirely suitable for the grand scale of its operations.
