Hong Kong topped the world in the scale of new shares issuances in its market in the first half of this year, according to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

In the first six months, the amount of initial public offering (IPO) financing in Hong Kong reached 14.1 billion U.S. dollars, an increase of 695 percent over the same period last year, far exceeding the 8 percent year-on-year increase in global IPO volume.

The IPO frenzy reflects a boost in investor confidence, as numerous high-quality companies are raising capital through the Hong Kong market, driving the Hong Kong equity financing market to grow dramatically.

Hong Kong’s benchmark Hang Seng Index led the world during the same period, with both international and Chinese mainland investors showing strong enthusiasm for investing in Hong Kong stocks, driving the Hang Seng Index up more than 20 percent. The average daily turnover of Hong Kong stocks increased 82 percent year on year to 240 billion Hong Kong dollars (about 30.58 billion U.S. dollars).

Hong Kong Hang Seng Index edged down 1.09 percent on Friday to close at 25,388.35 points.

The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index dropped 1.16 percent to end at 9,150.49 points, and the Hang Seng Tech Index fell 1.13 percent to end at 5,677.90 points.