HK Stock Market Move | Gambling stocks rose in the afternoon, with Macau expected to have a number of tourists close to the level in 2019. The gambling revenue for the first two months may increase by 4% year-on-year.

The afternoon gains in the gambling sector expanded, as of press time, WYNN MACAU(01128) rose by 4.42% to HK$5.67; Sands China(01928) rose by 4.35% to HK$18.72; MGM CHINA(02282) rose by 3.65% to HK$10.8; MELCO INT'L DEV(00200) rose by 3.34% to HK$4.33. On the news front, according to reports, the Director of the Macau Government Tourist Office, Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, said that benefiting from the "One Trip Per Week" and "Multiple Visit Per Visa" policies for visitors from Zhuhai and Hengqin, the estimated full-year visitor volume for 2025 is expected to reach 38-39 million, close to the level of 2019. She also stated that during this year's Chinese New Year Golden Week, which is a total of 8 days, the average daily number of visitors is expected to be 185,000, including around 8,000 international visitors. Morgan Stanley's research report predicts that the average daily gross gaming revenue in January will increase by 1% year-on-year to MOP 628 million, and in February it will increase by 7% to MOP 709 million. Excluding the impact of the Lunar New Year, it is expected that the average daily gaming revenue for the first two months of this year will increase by 4% to MOP 667 million, equivalent to 78% of the 2019 level. JP Morgan also stated that although the macro conditions are not optimal, the fourth quarter of last year saw the best performance in 20 consecutive quarters in terms of Macau gaming revenue, and the industry valuation is low, at around 9 times the average EBITDA, therefore focusing on alpha investment opportunities in individual stocks.