Hong Kong  - Hong Kong stocks recovered the bullish sentiment seen earlier week after the benchmark Hang Seng index climbed 3.6 per cent on Thursday.

The Hang Seng broke the 14,000-point mark to close up 486.87 points at 14,108.98, an 11-week high.

Turnover was 64.05 billion Hong Kong dollars (8.2 billion dollars).

Analysts said investor confidence reflected wider upbeat sentiment in Asia about the US economy.

The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China led the rise in stocks after posting its biggest one-day gain for five months to close 14.1 per cent up at 4.11 Hong Kong dollars. The surge came after investment house Goldman Sachs said it would not sell 80 per cent of its 4.98-per-cent stake in the Chinese lender before April 2010.

Other Chinese banks also did well.

Shares in the Bank of China climbed 7.85 per cent to end the day at 2.61 Hong Kong dollars, while China Construction Bank recorded a 7.47-per-cent gain in its stock price to 4.75 Hong Kong dollars.

Thursday's rally followed gains of 3.4 per cent on Tuesday and almost 5 per cent on Monday. (dpa)