Asian shares were mixed Thursday after officials signaled work remains to be done on an agreement for a truce in the tariff war between the U.S. and China.
Hong Kong led regional gains after its chief executive, Carrie Lam, announced help for the property sector. The semi-autonomous city’s economy has been languishing amid months of increasingly violent political protests that are in part fueled by the sky-high cost of housing.
The Hang Seng index added 0.7% to 26,863.25 as real estate companies advanced. Cheung Kong jumped 1.8% while Sun Hung Kai added 2.5%.
But elsewhere sentiment was tepid. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index edged 0.1% higher to 22,494.45 while the Shanghai Composite index slipped 0.1% to 2,976.57.
Australia’s S&P ASX 200 lost 0.8% to 6,686.20 and the Kospi in Seoul gave up 0.5% to 2,075.02.
Shares fell in Taiwan and Singapore but logged gains in Jakarta and Bangkok.
