Hong Kong stocks opened lower on September 11, with the Hang Seng Index dropping 0.95% to 24,718.15 points. The Hang Seng Tech Index fell 1.36% to 4,271.73 points, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index declined 0.94% to 8,197.09 points.
Defying the broader market weakness, oil stocks gained traction as international crude prices surged past $100 per barrel overnight. CNOOC (00883) opened 1.5% higher, leading the energy sector higher. In contrast, non-ferrous metal stocks tumbled following sharp declines in gold, silver, and copper prices overnight, with Luoyang Molybdenum (03993) opening over 4% lower, Zijin Mining Group (02899) down nearly 4% at the open, and Jiangxi Copper (00358) dropping more than 6%.
Large-cap tech stocks opened broadly lower across the board. Alibaba-W (09988) slipped 1.8%, while Tencent Holdings (00700) declined 1.5%. Semiconductor and hardware names also came under pressure, with Hua Hong Semiconductor (01347) falling more than 2%. XPeng Inc-W (09868) also dropped over 2%, ranking among the biggest drags on the Hang Seng Tech Index.
Overnight, US chip stocks weakened significantly, with the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index falling 2.66%, NVIDIA down 2.26%, and Intel slumping 5.57%, which weighed on Hong Kong's tech supply chain at the open. Meanwhile, international oil prices rallied sharply amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, with WTI crude jumping 6.69% to $102.48 per barrel, providing a solid boost to Hong Kong-listed oil producers and enabling them to outperform the weaker market.