Hong Kong Stocks Slide as US-Iran Conflict Escalates
2026-05-08 02:05
By
Nicole Aliyah
1 min. read
The Hang Seng Index fell by 233 points, or 0.9%, to close at 26,394 on Friday, reversing gains from the previous sessions as renewed tensions in the Middle East dampened investor sentiment.
The US and Iran exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, with both sides accusing each other of initiating the attack, raising fears of further escalation in the region and potential disruption to global energy shipping routes.
Locally, a risk-off tone was evident across sectors, as investors engaged in profit-taking and scaled back exposure to equities.
Notable laggards included Tencent Holdings (-1.3%), AIA Group (-2.9%), SMIC (-4.4%), Deepxi Technology (-9.2%), and Meituan Class (-0.2%).
In contrast, Kuaishou and Pop Mart International outperformed the broader market, rising 9.4% and 3.6%, respectively.
Separately, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing proposed reviving gold futures to strengthen risk-management tools amid rising geopolitical uncertainty and demand for hedging.