China stocks gain after Lunar New Year break; HK shares retreats

SHANGHAI, Feb 19 (Reuters) – China shares gained on Monday as investors returning from the week-long Lunar New Year break snapped up tourism and entertainment stocks in the wake of buoyant holiday spending. Traders were also inspired by last week’s robust performance in Hong Kong stocks and U.S.-listed Chinese companies. Some bet the government will roll out more measures soon to support China’s struggling economy and the market, though the central bank kept a key policy rate unchanged on Sunday. China’s blue-chip CSI300 Index rose 0.5% by the lunch break, while the Shanghai Composite Index climbed 0.9%. But Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index retreated 1% after a three-day rising streak, with the tech subindex plunging 2.7%. Yang Delong, chief economist…