China's mainland investors have played an unprecedented role in a rally on Hong Kong's equity market that has pushed the benchmark index to its highest level since 2022. Mainland investors typically buy or sell Hong Kong-listed shares via the southbound link of the Stock Connect scheme.

Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing reported full-year profits of HK$13.1bn (US$1.7bn) on Thursday, topping the previous record of HK$12.5bn set in 2021 amid a pandemic-era trading boom. Fourth-quarter profits rose 46 per cent year on year to HK$3.

Net profit in 2024 rose 10 per cent to HK$13 billion (US$1.7 billion), aided by higher fees from handling market transactions and new stock listings.

A Hong Kong court on Thursday sentenced veteran democrat Lam Cheuk-ting and six other men to jail terms of several years for rioting after being attacked by a white-shirted mob in the summer of 2019 as pro-democracy protests raged.

A court in Hong Kong on Thursday (February 27) handed down prison terms of up to some three years to a former pro-democracy lawmaker and six other men for rioting, after they were attacked by a mob in the summer of 2019 when mass protests were raging.

Hong Kong will cut thousands of civil service jobs and boost spending in artificial intelligence as it seeks to tackle an increasing deficit.

Hong Kong's finance chief unveiled a "belt-tightening" budget on Wednesday that aimed to end the city's string of record-high deficits by 2028 while seeking growth in areas such as artificial