Hong Kong shares dive 5.4% as virus shutdown hits Shenzhen

By ELAINE KURTENBACH
AP Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — Hong Kong’s share index has plunged 5.4% after the Chinese government ordered a lockdown to combat an outbreak of coronavirus in neighboring Shenzhen. The shutdown in the manufacturing and technology hub of 17.5 million people comes amid mainland China’s biggest COVID-19 outbreak in two years. Chinese shares have also come under selling pressure due to the threat of de-listings of major Chinese companies on U.S. stock exchanges. Shares were mixed elsewhere in Asia, while oil prices slipped about $4 per barrel. Spreading outbreaks of coronavirus in China have added to worries over supply chain disruptions and over the war in Ukraine.