HONG KONG (NewsRise) -- Hong Kong stocks climbed to the highest level since August 2015 as Chinese investors pumped in more funds into the local market on optimism over earnings and dividend payouts. Tencent Holdings hit a record high and China Shenhua Energy jumped the most in eight years to pace the rally.
The Hang Seng Index added 0.8% to 24,501.99, among the day's best-performing equity benchmarks in Asia. Driving the gauge's point gains, heavyweight stock Tencent climbed 2.8% to HK$228.20 before its annual results due Wednesday, while Shenhua surged 16% as the nation's largest coal producer announced a special dividend of 2.51 yuan ($0.36) a share after a 41% increase in its 2016 net income. China Mobile, also due to report annual earnings this week, surged 3.7% after saying it added 6.4 million new 4G subscribers last month.
