Express News | According to Hong Kong Exchange data, BlackRock’s stake in China Life Insurance Company Limited’s H-shares decreased from 6.07% to 5.82% on July 13.

BreakingsJul 17 17:07

Hong Kong Stock Market Movement | Mainland China Insurance Stocks Decline Collectively; Investment Gains Boost Insurers’ H1 Earnings; ChangXin’s IPO Valuation Below Market Expectations

Mainland China's insurance stocks declined collectively. As of the time of writing, New China Insurance (1336.HK) fell 4.06% to HK$44.92; China Life Insurance (2628.HK) dropped 3.9% to HK$26.62; China Pacific Insurance (2601.HK) declined 1.4% to HK$28.24; and PICC Property and Casualty (2328.HK) slipped 1.05% to HK$14.12.

Zhitong FinanceJul 17 14:45

Analyst Ratings | Morgan Stanley: Maintains 'Overweight' rating on China Life Insurance, expects new business value to continue outperforming peers

Gelonghui, July 17 | Morgan Stanley issued a report noting that China Life Insurance has released a profit warning, expecting net profit for the first half of the year to reach RMB 128.9 billion to RMB 137.1 billion, an increase of 215% to 235% year-over-year, with an annualized return on shareholders' equity of approximately 40%, outperforming peers. This implies second-quarter net profit of RMB 109.4 billion to RMB 117.6 billion, surging roughly 800% to 900% year-over-year. The bank attributes this strong performance to a more aggressive growth-oriented asset allocation and the outperformance of technology stocks in the second quarter, which significantly boosted investment returns and drove China Life’s strong H1 results. Morgan Stanley forecasts new business value growth exceeding 30%, continuing to outpace industry peers. The firm maintains its 'Overweight' rating on China Life’s H-shares.

Gelonghui FinanceJul 17 10:32 · Ratings

Analyst Ratings | UBS Group: China Life Insurance's interim earnings guidance significantly exceeds expectations; 'Buy' rating reaffirmed

UBS Group stated in a research report that China Life Insurance's interim earnings guidance for 2026 significantly exceeded expectations, with net profit surging 215% to 235% year-over-year to RMB 129 billion–137 billion, surpassing both buy-side expectations and the full-year market consensus forecast of RMB 126 billion. Net profit for the second quarter alone rose 8 to 8.7 times year-over-year to RMB 109 billion–118 billion, primarily driven by robust growth in investment income and improved insurance service performance. However, momentum in second-quarter new business value (VNB) showed signs of cooling; UBS estimates that H1 new business value grew 33% year-over-year, slowing from the 76% growth recorded in the first quarter, largely due to the high base effect from the prior-year period.

Gelonghui FinanceJul 17 10:29 · Ratings

China Life's Strong Guidance Likely Driven by Profit-Taking in AI Stocks -- Market Talk

WSJJul 16 11:57

Kwok Ka Yiu: Cooling rate hike expectations; Hong Kong stocks likely to test resistance at the 25,000 level. China Life Insurance (02628.HK) profit warning bolsters market confidence.

Guo Jiayao, Business Development Director of Harbour Family Office, noted that U.S. equities continued to rise on Wednesday (15th) amid positive sentiment driven by easing inflation, with all three major indices closing higher. The U.S. dollar weakened, while the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note declined to around 4.55%. Gold prices initially fell before rebounding, and oil prices remained relatively stable amid volatility. Hong Kong-listed depositary receipts generally advanced, suggesting a higher open for the local market in early trading. Mainland Chinese equities declined yesterday, with the Shanghai Composite Index closing lower after volatile trading, down 0.3%, and trading volumes across the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges notably contracting. Hong Kong stocks have rebounded over recent sessions; the index opened higher yesterday and rose further in choppy trade, reaching an intraday high near the 24,700 level, and closed with a similar gain, supported by sustained market liquidity.

AASTOCKSJul 16 09:03