(Bloomberg) -- Investors in mainland China sold a record HK$20.4 billion ($2.6 billion) worth of Hong Kong-listed stocks on Thursday, a sign the country's army of investors are returning to their local market amid a breakneck rally.
The amount surpassed an earlier record of almost HK$20 billion set in 2021, amid a rout fueled by a hike in stamp duty on stock trades.
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Chinese equities are in the midst of a $1 trillion rally, fueled by optimism the nation's vast pool of savings will provide a further boost to stock prices. While there have been some early signs of overheating in the market, average monthly stock turnover on the mainland is on track to hit a record high, suggesting retail interest remains elevated.
But the rush to the mainland in part just balances out a buying spree in Hong Kong earlier this year.
"There may be some funds reverting back to the mainland in a re-balancing of positions after the strong inflows lately," said Wang Mingli, executive director at Shanghai Youpu Investment.
(Update adds previous record in second paragraph.)