The Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury Professor K C Chan, HKEX Chairman C K Chow and Chief Executive Charles Li hosted a ceremony to mark the first trading day of the Year of the Monkey.
Chairman Chow welcomed guests and said HKEX will create more mutual market access platforms that connect China with the rest of the world, a blueprint HKEX unveiled last month in its new three-year Strategic Plan.
The markets have been watching the “three Cs” – commodities, currencies and China, Chow said, adding Hong Kong has the experience to handle these volatilities and the local market has been orderly. He said that recent volatility in global markets is widely expected to continue in the Year of the Monkey. Nonetheless, he hopes that the monkey, as a sign of agility and flexibility in Chinese culture, will inspire Hong Kong people to overcome challenges with their usual sharpness, vitality and wisdom. He said HKEX will use every opportunity to turn Hong Kong into a global market of choice where China and international players seek exposure to each other’s markets.
HKEX Chief Executive Charles Li said that 2016 will be a challenging year which will test people’s patience.However, Li is fully confident as Hong Kong has seen many ups and downs over the years. He said people in Hong Kong should monitor changes in the global economic environment and manage their risk prudently.
After hitting the gong to open the market, students from Ying Wa Primary School in Hong Kong gave a spectacular drum performance to ring in the Year of the Monkey.
