Hong kong shares boosted closing Hang Seng index at 29,624,.67

Hong Kong shares edged up to a fresh nine-month high, extending the rally into sixth straight session as positive factory data from China and the U.S., and indications of progress in trade talks continued to bolster investor sentiment.

At the close of trade, the Hang Seng index was up 62.65 points or 0.21 per cent at 29,624.67, its highest close since June 20. The Hang Seng China Enterprises index fell 0.09 per cent to 11,546.66. The sub-index of the Hang Seng tracking energy shares dipped 0.5 per cent, while the IT sector rose 0.19 per cent; the financial sector ended 0.32 per cent higher and the property sector dipped 0.36 per cent.

The rise in broader indexes comes after data showed improvements in the U.S. manufacturing activity during March and construction spending for February, while Chinese data for March showed the country's manufacturing sector unexpectedly returning to growth for the first time in four months, in a sign that government stimulus measures may be slowly gaining traction.

Investor sentiment, which has been rattled by concerns on trade, was further soothed by the news that both the U.S. and China reported progress in talks aimed at ending their trade war. A Chinese trade delegation led by Vice Premier Liu He will visit Washington for the newest round of talks starting on Wednesday. The top gainer on the Hang Seng was Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, which rose 4.06 per cent, while the biggest loser was China Mengniu Dairy Co Ltd, which fell 2.05 per cent. China's main Shanghai Composite index closed up 0.2 per cent at 3,176.82 points, while the blue-chip CSI300 index ended down 0.07 per cent. ** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.18 per cent, while Japan's Nikkei index closed down 0.02 per cent.

The yuan was quoted at 6.7218 per U.S. dollar at 08:27 GMT, 0.14 per cent weaker than the previous close of 6.7125. ** The top gainers among H-shares were Dongfeng Motor Group Co Ltd up 3.6 per cent, followed by Huaneng Power International Inc, gaining 2.64 per cent and China Tower Corp Ltd, up by 2.16 per cent. ** The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were Guangzhou Automobile Group Co Ltd, which was down 5.56 per cent, China Railway Group Ltd, which fell 3.3 per cent and Huatai Securities Co Ltd, down by 2.0 per cent.