HONG KONG: Hong Kong stocks barely changed on Monday, with market turnover the lowest in two months as investors were reluctant to place bets amid concerns about growing geopolitical risks over Syria and North Korea.

The benchmark Hang Seng index was almost unchanged at 24,262.18, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index lost 0.2 percent, to 10,253.79.

President Donald Trump pressed Chinese President Xi Jinping to do more to curb North Korea’s nuclear program and help reduce the gaping US trade deficit with Beijing in talks on Friday, even as he toned down the strident anti-China rhetoric of his election campaign.

Concerns about capital outflows resurfaced after the dollar index held sharp gains from the last session and hit a near four-week high, potentially luring money out of emerging markets.

Most sectors in Hong Kong retreated at the close, with resource stocks leading the decline. An index tracking the sector contracted 1.2 percent, dragged by weakness in the mainland commodity market.—Reuters