Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing reported a sharp fall in fourth-quarter profits on the back of subdued trading and fewer new listings for the stock exchange, as outgoing chief executive Nicolas Aguzin acknowledged “turbulent” geopolitical and macroeconomic conditions.
Profits at HKEX during the three months to the end of December fell 13 per cent as average daily turnover for equities — a key driver of revenues — dropped 29 per cent year on year to HK$80.4bn (US$10.3bn), even after Hong Kong’s government took special measures to boost market liquidity.
The quarterly results draw a line under the nearly three-year term of Aguzin, whose tenure began just weeks before the start of a regulatory crackdown on tech groups in China that cut off a lucrative trade in offshore listings.