HK bourse returns to normal after hack attack

HONG KONG, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- Trading of securities and derivatives on the Hong Kong stock exchange normalized on Thursday after being forced to close due to a hacking attack a day earlier, the bourse operator said.
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. (HKEx) halted trading of stocks in seven companies from 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday as hackers allegedly broke into the bourse operator's Web site, blocking investors from accessing company announcements.
The incident affected companies that released interim earnings reports on Wednesday, such as HSBC Ltd. and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd.
HKEx said its news Web site service have resumed operations after a temporary interruption.
Other systems in HKEx were not affected during the incident, it said.
The incident has been referred to the territory's police and the Securities and Futures Commission, which is currently investigating the cause of the problem, the bourse operator said.
The Hong Kong Stock Exchange is Asia's third-largest stock exchange in terms of market capitalization behind the Tokyo Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange and fifth largest in the world.
As of Dec. 31, 2010, the Hong Kong Stock Exchange had 1,413 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of US$2.7 trillion.