HK-Shanghai Connect faces weekend test

For stockbrokers in Hong Kong and Shanghai, Saturday is just another day at the office.

Kingston Financial Group Ltd, Guotai Junan International Holdings Ltd, Tebon Securities Co and Haitong Securities Co are among those firms working through the weekend in the first full trial of an exchange link between Asia's biggest stock markets after Japan. Bourse officials are seeking to hammer out any technical glitches before the connect goes live in October.

The tie-up, which allows a net 23.5 billion yuan ($3.8 billion) of daily purchases between the bourses, gives international investors a new route to buy Chinese stocks, while helping Hong Kong bolster its status as a gateway to Chinese mainland markets.