(Bloomberg) — A selloff in Chinese stocks deepened on Friday afternoon, as disappointing tech earnings hurt sentiment already weakened by concerns over Donald Trump’s imminent return.
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The mainland benchmark CSI 300 Index slumped 3.1%, the most since Oct. 9. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index of Chinese stocks traded in Hong Kong lost 2.1%, capping a second straight week of losses. A gauge of Chinese tech stocks in Hong Kong tumbled into a technical bear market.
The retreat extends the market’s slide since an October peak, underscoring growing frustration over the pace of Beijing’s fiscal stimulus rollout and jitters over a potential escalation in US-China tensions. The disappointing earnings from consumption bellwether PDD Holdings Inc. and online search company Baidu Inc. have further dented confidence, with the latter’s shares briefly plunging 10% in Hong Kong following a decline in revenue.
Traders also pointed to statement by Texas Governor Greg Abbott dated Nov. 21, which prohibited state agencies from putting new money into investments originating from China and urged a divestment of previous holdings. That worsened fears that some of the largest US funds may avoid investing in China as part of political considerations.
The statement from Texas has affected “sentiment especially when the market is lacking momentum,” said Steven Leung, an executive director at UOB Kay Hian Hong Kong. Investors have also “found nothing has improved from property and equity to consumption — also no positive surprise from corporate earnings.’
Traders have looked to Chinese tech earnings to regain confidence over the economy’s trajectory, only to face the harsh reality of anemic consumer spending. Baidu Inc. recorded its biggest revenue drop in more than two years. PDD warned that its profitability will trend downward over time because of intensifying competition in its home market of China.
The Hang Seng Tech Index fell 2.6% on Friday, taking its decline from an October high to over 20%.
The market’s outlook has been under debate after a massive rally in late September, driven by monetary easing, lost momentum. Wall Street analysts including those at Morgan Stanley and CLSA have recently trimmed their recommendation on Chinese stocks. Some, however, have said a selloff will be an opportunity to add positions as Beijing likely has enough policy tools to counter US president-elect’s tariff proposals.
