2011-04-19 17:33

HONG KONG - Hong Kong stocks went down 309.69 points, or 1.3 percent to close at 23,520.62 on Tuesday, treading the falling US stock market as the nation's debt outlook was downgraded by a rating agency.

Related readings:  Hong Kong stocks close 0.74% lower - April 18  Hong Kong stocks close 0.67% higher Wednesday  Hong Kong stocks close 1.34% lower -- April 12

The benchmark Hang Seng Index traded between 23,468.20 and 23,654.86 after opening 0.74 percent lower.

Turnover contracted from Monday's HK$71.15 billion to HK$69.32 billion, reflecting waning confidence by investors for short-term growth prospect of the market.