Hang Seng Index futures night session closed down 0.29% at 24,917, trading 92 points below the cash index.

The IMF warned incoming UK prime minister Andy Burnham that hiking the top income tax rate would curb employment and harm the economy, and said higher taxes on lower‑income groups would be a preferable alternative. In its annual Article IV assessment it said VAT and property taxation are already above international averages and wealth taxes are hard to collect, while overall labour tax receipts remain slightly below G7 peers but account for nearly half of government revenue, making labour taxation a clear adjustment lever. The IMF cautioned that further tax increases on high earners could be counterproductive because their tax burden is already heavy and scope to raise rates is limited.

Press TV, citing a Semnan provincial official, reported Iran's Semnan airport was hit by an enemy airstrike in the early hours, damaging a side hangar and breaking some windows; no casualties reported.