Germany's foreign minister said he is optimistic that accession talks for Ukraine can begin soon.

Hong Kong stocks weakened into midday; HSI -1.10%, Hang Seng Tech Index -1.69%. Chinese brokerage shares outperformed: Guotai Haitong (02611.HK) +3%+, China Merchants Securities (06099.HK) ~+2%. Domestic banks lifted, Huishang Bank (03698.HK) +5%+. Telecoms rallied then eased: China Unicom (00762.HK) +3%+, China Telecom (00728.HK) +2%+. Select internet/tech names led pockets of strength, Tencent Holdings (00700.HK) +3%+. Themes firmer included 5G, logistics, home appliances, biopharma and dairy. Weakness centered on optical communications—Yangtze Optical Fibre & Cable (06869.HK) down >10%—and PCBs: Guanghe Technology (01989.HK) -8%+, Shenghong Technology (02476.HK) -5%+. Other lagging sectors: lithium batteries, chips, EVs, airlines, nuclear, new consumer and oil & gas-related names.

German Institute for Economic Research (DIW Berlin) warns an energy-price shock from a war in Iran raises the risk of Germany slipping into a technical recession this year.