Hong Kong close: Hang Seng Index down 0.93%; Hang Seng TECH Index down 0.92%. Qunhe Technology (00068.HK) jumped 31%; Cambridge Technology (06166.HK) and Zhongji Xuchuang (03308.HK) rose over 20%. Tianshu Zhixin (09903.HK) slid about 11.5%; Zhipu (02513.HK) fell 5.3%; Baidu (09888.HK) and Leapmotor (09863.HK) each lost 4.6%.

英国财政大臣希利：不会在预算前对税收政策发表评论。

Sources said South Korea’s National Pension Service has paused foreign-exchange hedging — it had been selling dollars to hedge overseas assets — after the won-dollar rate hit a near two-year high. The source added hedging is suspended and there appears to be dollar-buying demand today. NPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier Monday the won weakened 1.15% to 1,334.7 per dollar, its weakest since Oct. 4, 2024, after a major source of dollar supply temporarily dried up, leaving dollar bids unmet.