HONG KONG shares jumped Friday to their best session in two weeks, with sports brands standing out as the Beijing Winter Olympics opened, while markets played catch-up with a Wall Street rally after the three-day Lunar New Year holidays. At the close of trade, the Hang Seng Index was up 771.03 points, or 3.2 percent, at 24,573.29, while the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index rose 2.8 percent to 8,584.37. Traders said the Beijing Winter Olympics provided a stimulus to consumption shares, particularly sports brands. Shares of ANTA Sports rose as much as 6.9 percent to HK$124.50 (US$15.98), their highest since Dec. 15, while those of smaller rival Li Ning Co. jumped 8.2 percent to HK$81.55. Hong Kong shares of HSBC and Standard Chartered jump to two-year highs after the Bank of England hikes interest rates to fight inflation. Hong Kong shares of electric vehicle makers Li Auto, Xpeng, BYD shone after strong January performance. The sub-index of the Hang Seng tracking energy shares rose 2.4 percent, the IT sector gained 2.67 percent, the Hang Seng Tech Index surged 3.05 percent, the financial sector ended 3.49 percent higher and the property sector was up 2.11 percent. The top gainer on the Hang Seng was Haidilao International, which gained 8.22 percent, while the biggest loser was WH Group, which fell 0.96 percent. The top gainers among H-shares were Haidilao, followed by Li Ning, gaining 7.63 percent, and BYD, up by 7.05 percent. (SD-Agencies) | 