HONG KONG (Reuters) – A “fragile” geopolitical environment has slowed trading volumes and initial public offerings on the Hong Kong stock exchange and created challenges for its commodities business, especially nickel, the bourse’s CEO said on Tuesday.
China-U.S. tensions, exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, questions around the tightening regulatory environment for tech and platform companies and concerns about persistent global inflation have “weighed heavily on our markets”, Nicolas Aguzin, chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, said.
“We’re keenly aware that our commodity business, especially nickel has been facing some challenges after the Russia Ukraine crisis,” added Aguzin, speaking at an event setting out HKEX’s corporate strategy for the coming years.
(Reporting by Alun John; editing by Richard Pullin)