Hong Kong’s safest stock falls off the rails as protests hit MTR

HONG KONG: One of Hong Kong’s safest stock bets is veering off the tracks.

MTR Corp. had the best risk-adjusted return of any Hang Seng Index member this year through Friday, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Shares of the government-owned rail operator, a stable dividend payer relatively immune to the U.S.-China trade dispute, fell 3.4% Monday, extending a loss from a July 18 record high to 13%. The shares had risen 35% from the start of the year to that peak, with volatility well below peers.