Hong Kong Stocks Rise in Morning Session, Hang Seng Index Up 0.76% as Biotech Sector Leads Gains

Gate News message, April 15 — Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index (the city’s benchmark equity index) rose 0.76%, or 197 points, to 26,069 in the morning session, while the Hang Seng Tech Index gained 1.88%. Morning turnover reached HK$135 billion.

The biotech sector led gains, with the Hang Seng Healthcare Index up 3.66%. Kelun-Lilly Biotech (02575) surged over 12%, Genor Biopharma (02595) climbed 8.9%, and Innovent Biologics (01801) added 3.94%. The rally followed a State Council announcement on improving drug pricing mechanisms; Citi noted that innovative drugmakers such as Hengrui may benefit.

Airline stocks rebounded as Middle East tensions eased and international oil prices fell sharply, with fuel surcharges covering cost pressures. China Eastern Airlines (00670) rose 3.9%, China Southern Airlines (01055) gained 2.4%, and Air China (00753) added 2.2%. Travel stocks also advanced, with Trip.com Group (09961) up 4% and Tongcheng Travel (00780) up 1.9%, as Tomb-Sweeping Day holiday demand boosted expectations for the upcoming May Day holiday.

Individual movers included Wuyi Vision (06651), up over 16% after its founder increased his stake by 1.8% through an ESOP plan; Voyah Auto (07489), up over 7% as its controlling shareholder plans to buy back up to RMB 500 million in shares; Genscript Biotech (02509), up over 7% after reporting a return to profitability last year; and Fenbi (02469), up over 6% following strong interest in its AI product suite. Lingrui Holdings (00784) soared 233% on its trading resumption after Haplo Group took control and proposed renaming the company to iLife International. Weijun Biotech (00660) fell over 44% after an eightfold surge earlier this week following disclosure of new energy business plans.