A pedestrian walks outside the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on Monday. Photo: VCG

As the HK-mainland stock connect celebrates its 6th anniversary, Hong Kong and international investors' holding of Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchange A-shares rose to 2.1 trillion yuan ($320 billion), a stark contrast to 86.5 billion yuan at the end of 2014, shortly after the launch of the mechanism.

Meanwhile, mainland investors held HK$1.88 trillion ($240 billion) worth of Hong Kong-listed shares through the stock connect as of November 10, up from HK$13.1 billion at the end of 2014.

Since its launch, the stock connect has seen sustained volume growth in both northbound and southbound trading. Total value of shares held through the mechanism is at an all-time record, with growing participation from both mainland and international investors, the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), the operator of the Hong Kong stock market, said in a statement on Tuesday.

By November 10, the total turnover of northbound trading reached 36.9 trillion yuan, with a net inflow of 1.12 trillion yuan, while HK$13.7 trillion was traded on the southbound leg, with a net inflow of HK$1.62 trillion, according to the HKEX.

The daily trade value of the stock connect hit new records in 2020: the record high daily trade value for northbound trading was set on July 7 this year, reaching 191.16 billion yuan, while the daily trade value of southbound trading reached a new record high of HK$60.17 billion on July 6.

As Stock Connect continues to gain momentum, more international investors are enjoying faster access to the mainland A-shares market, while mainland investors are contributing to Hong Kong's growing market liquidity, the HKEX said.

"Enhancements to the Stock Connect program are ongoing, such as the broadening of its investment scope. HKEX will continue to work with mainland partners and regulators to bring more opportunities to investors and companies, connecting China, connecting the world," it said.

Shanghai-Hong Kong Stock Connect launched on 17 November 2014, while Shenzhen-Hong Kong Stock Connect launched two years later on 5 December 2016, giving mainland and international investors direct access to each other's market from their home market for the very first time.