Group 1 - The Hong Kong stock market opened slightly higher on August 21, with the Hang Seng Index at 25,216 points, up 0.20%, while the Hang Seng Tech Index was at 5,528 points, down 0.23% [1] - Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) reported record high revenue and net profit for the first half of 2025, with total revenue of HKD 14.076 billion, a year-on-year increase of 33%, and net profit of HKD 8.519 billion, up 39% [3] - The increase in trading volume in the cash market, derivatives market, and Stock Connect was attributed to the recovery of the Hong Kong stock market and growing global investor interest in non-USD assets [3] Group 2 - HKEX CEO Charles Li indicated that the exchange will explore a 24-hour trading mechanism, which positively impacted the stock price, reaching a high of HKD 447, up 1.31% [4] - Domestic brokerage stocks saw a significant rise, with Guotai Junan International up over 5% and Guotai Haitong up over 2%, while other firms like Zhongzhou Securities and China Galaxy also experienced gains [4] - Various cross-border ETFs, including the Hong Kong Stock Connect Innovative Drug ETF and Hong Kong Securities ETF, showed strong performance, with increases of over 1% [5]