Hong Kong shares ended lower, easing off fresh seven-year highs on Thursday as the market enters a period of consolidation after surging more than 10 per cent in the first two weeks of April.
But in a sign of continuing money inflows into the city, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) this week intervened in the currency market again, selling Hong Kong dollars to keep the local currency within its trading band against the U.S. dollar.
The Hang Seng index fell 0.4 per cent, to 27,827.70, while the China Enterprises Index lost 1.3 per cent, to 14,478.20 points.
Among the most actively traded stocks on Hong Kong's main board were Ping Shan Tea, up 13.3 per cent to HK$0.07 Landing International, down 28.3 per cent to HK$0.10 and CST Mining, up 30.0 per cent to HK$0.10.
Total trading volume of companies included in the HSI index was 2.5 billion shares.