
Photo: VCG
The Shenzhen Stock Exchange launched two new indexes Tuesday to track innovative businesses in the Greater Bay Area as the central government pushes broadly to enhance financial links in the region.
The two indexes will track listed companies registered or headquartered in the Greater Bay Area, which covers nine cities of Guangdong province and the cities of Hong Kong and Macau, according to the Shenzhen bourse. The indexes will track shares traded Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai that are qualified for the stock connect program.
As part of China’s Greater Bay Area development plan, the launch of the two new indexes is aimed to reflect business performance in the region and diversify investment options, the exchange said.
The Bay Area Innovative 100 index includes 100 companies that are in emerging sectors including advanced manufacturing, services, marine business and other strategic industries. Companies listed by the index need to meet certain criteria such as market value, innovative capacity and market share.
The 10 largest stocks tracked by the index include Tencent Holdings, Ping An Insurance, Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. and China Merchants Bank.
The second, broader new index is the Bay Area Composite Index. Both indexes will start from a base of 1,000 and will track stock performance starting June 30, 2017.
China’s cabinet in February unveiled a detailed plan to develop the Greater Bay Area, which includes long-term goals through 2035 to build the area into a top business and innovation hub to compete with the San Francisco Bay area, Greater New York and Greater Tokyo.
Related: Who Are the Beneficiaries of China’s Greater Bay Area Plan?