Paul Chan: The average daily trading volume of Hong Kong stocks in March exceeded HKD 300 billion, an increase of over 8% year-on-year.

Ask AI · Why have Hong Kong stock trading volumes risen against the trend amid global turmoil?

On April 5, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Financial Secretary Chen Maobo published a blog entry to review Hong Kong’s economy in the first quarter of 2026. Chen Maobo said that with the first quarter of 2026 now behind us, the global situation is still complex and changeable, and the shadow of conflicts in the Middle East continues to trouble market sentiment. Dragged down by external factors, the Hong Kong stock market saw a pullback; the Hang Seng Index has fallen by about 2% since the beginning of the year, yet trading activity has remained active. In the first two months, average daily trading turnover exceeded HK$260 billion, up 17% year over year. Entering March, market conditions became even more active, with the average daily turnover of Hong Kong stocks exceeding HK$300 billion, an increase of more than 8% compared with the same period last year. This reflects that amid an environment of uncertainty, investors are increasing their allocation of assets here. Besides viewing Hong Kong as a reliable safe haven for capital, this is also because the mainland economy has maintained stable growth, and a large number of high-quality companies have listed in Hong Kong, providing them with ample investment opportunities.