HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s bankers and traders hunkered down at home or booked hotels near the office as Super Typhoon Ragasa descended on the Asian financial hub.
The big international banks, including Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and HSBC, told most employees to work from home before the
typhoon unleashed a deluge of rain and winds
of up to 195kmh early on Sept 24.
Ragasa marks the biggest test yet for a change implemented in 2024 by the Hong Kong stock exchange to keep trading open during severe weather.
The Hong Kong Observatory, the local weather bureau, issued its highest storm warning overnight, known as signal No. 10, which indicates hurricane-force winds. The alert is expected to remain in place “for some time”, it said.
With markets open, most firms will need some employees in the office to execute trades and set prices. That created a rush for centrally located hotel rooms as workers seek to avoid long commutes from home.
The Mandarin Oriental, across from HSBC’s local head office, was almost fully booked when checked by Bloomberg News on Sept 23.
Rooms have also been snapped up at downtown hotels such as the Four Seasons and those connected to the Pacific Place mall on the edge of the central banking district.
Bankers and traders who are needed in the office were greeted with largely empty streets early on Sept 24.
The city has closed government offices and schools. Passenger flights in and out of Hong Kong were suspended for 36 hours from 6pm local time on Sept 23.
Ragasa has pushed some conferences and forums scheduled for Sept 24 and Sept 25 online, including a gathering on fixed income and currencies.
Loan bankers rushed to get paperwork signed to keep deals moving, while others dashed to the airport to catch flights ahead of the shutdown to close transactions.
Zijin Gold International delayed its US$3.2 billion (S$4.1 billion) listing after Super Typhoon Ragasa slammed Hong Kong, bringing the city to a standstill and disrupting the company’s ability to take orders for its initial public offering.
The company pushed back the listing, set to be the world’s second largest this year, to Sept 30, it said on Sept 24, citing bad weather.
Activity at brokerages was already curtailed on Sept 23, when the city hoisted its signal 8.
Ragasa could be the most dangerous typhoon in the city since Mangkhut in 2018, which caused economic losses, including insurance claims, of HK$4.6 billion (S$760 million).
“It’s just me, one trader, and our IT guy holding down the fort at the office now,” Mr Thomas Ip, executive director at Gaoyu Securities, said in an interview on Sept 23. Clients were also closing trading positions ahead of the storm, he said.
“They’re hesitant to act until the storm passes, especially with forecasts saying this could be worse than Mangkhut,” Mr Ip said. “Most are staying on the sidelines today and tomorrow, planning to re-enter on Friday.”
Hong Kong has one of the best-performing developed stock markets in the world in 2025, with its benchmark index gaining more than 30 per cent, trailing only Greece and Spain. BLOOMBERG
