Published on 06/23/2026 at 04:46 am EDT
(Reuters) - Mainland China and Hong Kong shares closed lower on Tuesday, tracking weakness in regional peers as Federal Reserve interest rate-hike bets rose, while investors also monitored the Middle East for risks to a U.S.-Iran interim peace deal.
** The benchmark Shanghai Composite index eased 1.4%, while the blue-chip CSI300 index lost 2.8%.
** The tech-focused

STAR

50 fell 1.7%, while start-up board ChiNext Composite index plunged 3.8%.
** Asian stocks mostly eased on the U.S. rate-hike expectations, while oil prices continued to lose after the U.S. waived sanctions on Iran.
** U.S. Treasury yields climbed with interest-rate-sensitive 2-year yields touching a 16-month high, as traders positioned for the prospect of the hikes later this year.
** U.S. dollar strengthened and pressured gold prices and non-ferrous metal shares, with a sub-index tracking the industry shedding 8.3% at the close.
** "Weak headline macro data and regulatory scrutiny of technology firms continue to dominate the narrative," said Wee Khoon Chong, APAC macro strategist at BNY.
** "Yet the growth engine is clearly in high-tech industries ... Investors should focus on where growth is occurring rather than where it is slowing," he said, adding that a break above current SSEC levels would clear key long-term barriers and bolster the bullish case for Chinese equities.
** In Hong Kong, the benchmark Hang Seng Index fell 1.8% and the city's tech shares dropped 3.3%.
** Weakness in tech shares plagued regional peers, such as South Korea, where benchmark KOSPI closed down 9.99%, as investors booked profits after recent sharp gains in chipmaker stocks.
** Consumption in China, the world's second-largest economy, remained subdued. The mid-year "618" shopping festival, once a showcase for the country's booming e-commerce sector, has drawn to a fanfare-free close as prolonged discounts and cautious households blunt the impact of one of the world's largest retail events.
** Hong Kong shares of e-commerce giant Alibaba plummeted 3.8% to the lowest closing level since February 2025. (Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom; Editing by Eileen Soreng)

Sumber : Reuters