The world's hottest stock market is in China

The Shenzhen Composite has surged a whopping 47% so far -- easily making it the world's hottest market in 2015. China's benchmark Shanghai Composite has also jumped a staggering 19%.

These giant market leaps are at odds with the broader Chinese economy -- GDP growth is clocking a slower pace and recent economic data points have been disappointing.

But experts say that Chinese investors are betting the central government will be forced to take stimulus action to revive the sluggish economy -- a move that is expected to keep lifting stocks.

"The equity market clearly believes the Chinese government will continue to take policy action to achieve its growth target, and poor growth statistics will lead to greater policy easing," wrote BNP Paribas equity strategist Manishi Raychaudhuri in a research note.

The country's banks have also been told they can keep less cash in reserve, and benchmark interest rates have already been cut twice this year. Both moves have boosted stocks, according to Michael Liang of Foundation Asset Management. Economists predict the central bank will cut interest rates even further.

Shenzhen, in particular, has been helped by its mix of listed companies -- the index is full of young tech, media and telecom firms. In Shanghai, large state-owned firms are the main attraction.

Experts say China's equities boom has also been fueled by renewed interest from retail investors.

Back in 2013, investors fled in droves after a series of fat-finger trading errors damaged confidence and raised questions over poor market regulation.

Related: Chinese investors trade way more often than Americans

Now, many individual investors are taking their money out of alternative investments -- such as the flailing property sector -- and putting it back into stocks.

About 170,000 new stock trading accounts are opened per business day in China, more than 10 times the average for last year, according to BNP.

China's massive stock rise is only lining the pockets of domestic investors -- foreign investment into Chinese stocks is still largely restricted. Trading volume through a program that launched last year allowing foreigners to invest in Shanghai has contributed a negligible fraction of daily turnover, Raychaudhuri said.

But for Chinese investors, "the wall of money seems destined to continue flowing, at least in the near term," said Raychaudhuri.

CNNMoney (Hong Kong) April 3, 2015: 4:51 AM ET

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Did China profit from corrupt Sri Lanka deals?

Mahinda Rajapaksa, the former president of Sri Lanka, was the driving force behind such a project, a $1.4 billion crown jewel to be built near Colombo by a state-backed Chinese construction firm.

But in the three months since Rajapaksa was unseated in an election stunner, the project has been put on hold, and allegations of possible corruption in the bidding process have tarnished the former president's reputation.

Sri Lanka's new president, Maithripala Sirisena, has directed his administration to investigate all deals signed by the previous government, looking for irregularities in contract negotiations.

Sirisena's government claims that many deals signed during the former president's rule, like the Port City project, did not go through the proper approval process. The number of deals under review is likely in the hundreds, worth billions of dollars.

Chinese companies are at the center of the storm. Rajapaksa had worked to develop close ties with Beijing, often at the expense of relations with New Delhi and the West. During his administration, Chinese firms won lucrative contracts to build roads, bridges and other large projects.

Related: Chinese investors trade way more often than Americans

Sri Lanka's new finance minister, Ravi Karunanayake, didn't pull any punches on the matter, telling CNN that many infrastructure deals involving Chinese firms are suspect.

"The Chinese companies used the opportunity of a corrupt regime to crowd out other companies coming in," he said. "There was no even playing field."

Bridges were built where there were no rivers, he said. Airports were constructed in the middle of nowhere. "That was the type of corruption that was going on," he said.

Asked which deals were tainted by corruption, Karunanayake replied with a question of his own: "Which deals weren't?"

Rajapaksa, the former president, was not able to be reached for comment. But in an interview with the South China Morning Post, he defended his actions and said China was being used as a political scapegoat.

"I wanted development for Sri Lanka and China was the only one which had the resources and the inclination to help me," he said. "They should be thankful to China for the help they extended; instead these people are treating China like a criminal."

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.

Related: The strong dollar is hurting emerging markets

Sri Lanka, traditionally seen as being in India's sphere of influence, is strategically important to both New Delhi and Beijing.

While it has put the Port City project on hold, the new administration is keen to stress that its close ties to China remain intact. Sirisena traveled to China within two months of being sworn in, and Beijing has pledged around $1 billion in new grants.

Karunanayake described the current relationship with Beijing as "very warm."

"It wasn't just Chinese companies," Karunanayake said. "It was basically anybody who achieved their objective, to get money in their pockets."

Still, the new leadership is keen to re-balance Sri Lanka's international partnerships.

"We now have an open invitation to the world. We would like to see anybody good bringing the best of investments to Sri Lanka," the new finance minister said.

"It could be India, China, the U.S., Europe, Myanmar, Maldives," he said. "We want a clean, transparent and accountable approach, which helps people to see 'yes the rule of law works in Sri Lanka.' "

The new government itself has pledged to stamp out corruption at government level within its first 100 days.

"We too have to walk the talk," said Karunanayake.

Related: Score one for China! U.S. loses Asia bank tussle

CNNMoney (Hong Kong) April 2, 2015: 9:38 PM ET

17.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Good news: More workers are quitting

No, the 28-year-old Alabama resident didn't hypnotize his employer into giving him a raise. He didn't master a secret salary negotiating strategy either.

Baxter just felt confident enough about the economy to jump from job to job in order to boost his salary. He's quit six different engineering jobs since February 2013, including two positions since last summer.

"I tend to change jobs about every six to twelve months. It's the best way to increase salary," Baxter told CNNMoney.

The calculation is simple: It comes down to staying and getting a 1% raise or leaving and receiving a 10% boost, he said.

"Always have an out in your back pocket," said Baxter, who currently works as a quality engineer at an auto parts supplier.

Related: The 100 best jobs in America

Ben Baxter, 28, has quit six different engineering jobs since February 2013. He's currently a quality engineer at an auto parts supplier.

More quits = better economy: Baxter is part a growing trend of workers who are walking into their manager's office and saying, "I quit."

Nearly 2.8 million employees voluntarily quit their jobs in January, up 17% from the year before, according to the latest government statistics. The quit rate, which measures the number of quits as a percent of total employment, ticked up to 2% from 1.7%.

All regions of the country have experienced increased quits over the past year. Sectors seeing more voluntary terminations include professional and business services and the accommodation and food services industries.

Quitting stats provide a glimpse into workers' willingness and ability to leave their jobs and find better employment elsewhere. Hiring continues to pick up. Last year was the best for American job growth since 1999.

"If people are leaving, they are more confident and it signals a stronger jobs market," said Kevin Cummins, U.S. economist at UBS.

Related: Why Wall Street isn't cheering wage hikes yet

'Big jump' in salary: Mark Bivens is also feeling more confident about the market for his talents. The 29-year-old has quit three jobs over the past two years, including two in the last 12 months.

After working at PayPal for four years, he was recruited to join Edward Jones in March 2013 for a job with a substantial increase in salary.

He quit for a job with a slight decrease in pay a year later at Lincoln Financial. However, Bivens then scored another "big jump" in pay a few months later when he was recruited through LinkedIn (LNKD, Tech30) to join Vendorin, an online electronic payment service for businesses.

"If there is something out there that I can find with more money and more responsibility, it makes sense to look around," said Bivens, who grew up in Alabama and currently works in Omaha, Nebraska.

Mark Bivens has landed big pay increases in part by accepting three different job offers over the past two years

Related: McDonald's is giving 90,000 workers a raise

Resume risks? People who work at more established companies like Edward Jones are not as open-minded about job hopping as those who work at younger companies like PayPal, Bivens said.

"At Edward Jones I was in the minority of people who kept their eyes open to look around," he said.

Of course, Bivens doesn't want a resume riddled with fleeting jobs that could scare off potential employers.

"I'm at the point at Vendorin where it would take a lot to take me away from there. I'm in a good place," Bivens said.

Related: Americans just aren't spending

Wage hikes coming? Other workers might benefit from the job-hopping stories of Baxter and Bivens. Even if you aren't ready to leave a job yourself, the fact that more people are voluntarily quitting serves as a wake-up call to employers.

When the quit rate starts to rise, wage growth tends to follow.

It makes sense: If companies are losing talented employees to competitors who are willing to pay more, they will be forced to increase salaries of current workers. That would be a very positive development for the economy.

"It's definitely been the missing ingredient," Cummins said.

Related: America's best paying jobs

Related: Looking for a job? Follow the money

CNNMoney (New York) April 3, 2015: 12:04 AM ET

17.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Did China profit from corrupt Sri Lanka deals?

Mahinda Rajapaksa, the former president of Sri Lanka, was the driving force behind such a project, a $1.4 billion crown jewel to be built near Colombo by a state-backed Chinese construction firm.

But in the three months since Rajapaksa was unseated in an election stunner, the project has been put on hold, and allegations of possible corruption in the bidding process have tarnished the former president's reputation.

Sri Lanka's new president, Maithripala Sirisena, has directed his administration to investigate all deals signed by the previous government, looking for irregularities in contract negotiations.

Sirisena's government claims that many deals signed during the former president's rule, like the Port City project, did not go through the proper approval process. The number of deals under review is likely in the hundreds, worth billions of dollars.

Chinese companies are at the center of the storm. Rajapaksa had worked to develop close ties with Beijing, often at the expense of relations with New Delhi and the West. During his administration, Chinese firms won lucrative contracts to build roads, bridges and other large projects.

Related: Chinese investors trade way more often than Americans

Sri Lanka's new finance minister, Ravi Karunanayake, didn't pull any punches on the matter, telling CNN that many infrastructure deals involving Chinese firms are suspect.

"The Chinese companies used the opportunity of a corrupt regime to crowd out other companies coming in," he said. "There was no even playing field."

Bridges were built where there were no rivers, he said. Airports were constructed in the middle of nowhere. "That was the type of corruption that was going on," he said.

Asked which deals were tainted by corruption, Karunanayake replied with a question of his own: "Which deals weren't?"

Rajapaksa, the former president, was not able to be reached for comment. But in an interview with the South China Morning Post, he defended his actions and said China was being used as a political scapegoat.

"I wanted development for Sri Lanka and China was the only one which had the resources and the inclination to help me," he said. "They should be thankful to China for the help they extended; instead these people are treating China like a criminal."

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment.

Related: The strong dollar is hurting emerging markets

Sri Lanka, traditionally seen as being in India's sphere of influence, is strategically important to both New Delhi and Beijing.

While it has put the Port City project on hold, the new administration is keen to stress that its close ties to China remain intact. Sirisena traveled to China within two months of being sworn in, and Beijing has pledged around $1 billion in new grants.

Karunanayake described the current relationship with Beijing as "very warm."

"It wasn't just Chinese companies," Karunanayake said. "It was basically anybody who achieved their objective, to get money in their pockets."

Still, the new leadership is keen to re-balance Sri Lanka's international partnerships.

"We now have an open invitation to the world. We would like to see anybody good bringing the best of investments to Sri Lanka," the new finance minister said.

"It could be India, China, the U.S., Europe, Myanmar, Maldives," he said. "We want a clean, transparent and accountable approach, which helps people to see 'yes the rule of law works in Sri Lanka.' "

The new government itself has pledged to stamp out corruption at government level within its first 100 days.

"We too have to walk the talk," said Karunanayake.

Related: Score one for China! U.S. loses Asia bank tussle

CNNMoney (Hong Kong) April 2, 2015: 9:38 PM ET

15.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

The world's hottest stock market is in China

The Shenzhen Composite has surged a whopping 45% so far -- easily making it the world's hottest market in 2015. China's benchmark Shanghai Composite has also jumped a staggering 19%.

These giant market leaps are at odds with the broader Chinese economy -- GDP growth is clocking a slower pace and recent economic data points have been disappointing.

But experts say that Chinese investors are betting the central government will be forced to take stimulus action to revive the sluggish economy -- a move that is expected to keep lifting stocks.

"The equity market clearly believes the Chinese government will continue to take policy action to achieve its growth target, and poor growth statistics will lead to greater policy easing," wrote BNP Paribas equity strategist Manishi Raychaudhuri in a research note.

The country's banks have also been told they can keep less cash in reserve, and benchmark interest rates have already been cut twice this year. Both moves have boosted stocks, according to Michael Liang of Foundation Asset Management. Economists predict the central bank will cut interest rates even further.

Shenzhen, in particular, has been helped by its mix of listed companies -- the index is full of young tech, media and telecom firms. In Shanghai, large state-owned firms are the main attraction.

Experts say China's equities boom has also been fueled by renewed interest from retail investors.

Back in 2013, investors fled in droves after a series of fat-finger trading errors damaged confidence and raised questions over poor market regulation.

Related: Chinese investors trade way more often than Americans

Now, many individual investors are taking their money out of alternative investments -- such as the flailing property sector -- and putting it back into stocks.

About 170,000 new stock trading accounts are opened per business day in China, more than 10 times the average for last year, according to BNP.

China's massive stock rise is only lining the pockets of domestic investors -- foreign investment into Chinese stocks is still largely restricted. Trading volume through a program that launched last year allowing foreigners to invest in Shanghai has contributed a negligible fraction of daily turnover, Raychaudhuri said.

But for Chinese investors, "the wall of money seems destined to continue flowing, at least in the near term," said Raychaudhuri.

CNNMoney (Hong Kong) April 2, 2015: 10:39 PM ET

15.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Good news: More workers are quitting

No, the 28-year-old Alabama resident didn't hypnotize his employer into giving him a raise. He didn't master a secret salary negotiating strategy either.

Baxter just felt confident enough about the economy to jump from job to job in order to boost his salary. He's quit six different engineering jobs since February 2013, including two positions since last summer.

"I tend to change jobs about every six to twelve months. It's the best way to increase salary," Baxter told CNNMoney.

The calculation is simple: It comes down to staying and getting a 1% raise or leaving and receiving a 10% boost, he said.

"Always have an out in your back pocket," said Baxter, who currently works as a quality engineer at an auto parts supplier.

Related: The 100 best jobs in America

Ben Baxter, 28, has quit six different engineering jobs since February 2013. He's currently a quality engineer at an auto parts supplier.

More quits = better economy: Baxter is part a growing trend of workers who are walking into their manager's office and saying, "I quit."

Nearly 2.8 million employees voluntarily quit their jobs in January, up 17% from the year before, according to the latest government statistics. The quit rate, which measures the number of quits as a percent of total employment, ticked up to 2% from 1.7%.

All regions of the country have experienced increased quits over the past year. Sectors seeing more voluntary terminations include professional and business services and the accommodation and food services industries.

Quitting stats provide a glimpse into workers' willingness and ability to leave their jobs and find better employment elsewhere. Hiring continues to pick up. Last year was the best for American job growth since 1999.

"If people are leaving, they are more confident and it signals a stronger jobs market," said Kevin Cummins, U.S. economist at UBS.

Related: Why Wall Street isn't cheering wage hikes yet

'Big jump' in salary: Mark Bivens is also feeling more confident about the market for his talents. The 29-year-old has quit three jobs over the past two years, including two in the last 12 months.

After working at PayPal for four years, he was recruited to join Edward Jones in March 2013 for a job with a substantial increase in salary.

He quit for a job with a slight decrease in pay a year later at Lincoln Financial. However, Bivens then scored another "big jump" in pay a few months later when he was recruited through LinkedIn (LNKD, Tech30) to join Vendorin, an online electronic payment service for businesses.

"If there is something out there that I can find with more money and more responsibility, it makes sense to look around," said Bivens, who grew up in Alabama and currently works in Omaha, Nebraska.

Mark Bivens has landed big pay increases in part by accepting three different job offers over the past two years

Related: McDonald's is giving 90,000 workers a raise

Resume risks? People who work at more established companies like Edward Jones are not as open-minded about job hopping as those who work at younger companies like PayPal, Bivens said.

"At Edward Jones I was in the minority of people who kept their eyes open to look around," he said.

Of course, Bivens doesn't want a resume riddled with fleeting jobs that could scare off potential employers.

"I'm at the point at Vendorin where it would take a lot to take me away from there. I'm in a good place," Bivens said.

Related: Americans just aren't spending

Wage hikes coming? Other workers might benefit from the job-hopping stories of Baxter and Bivens. Even if you aren't ready to leave a job yourself, the fact that more people are voluntarily quitting serves as a wake-up call to employers.

When the quit rate starts to rise, wage growth tends to follow.

It makes sense: If companies are losing talented employees to competitors who are willing to pay more, they will be forced to increase salaries of current workers. That would be a very positive development for the economy.

"It's definitely been the missing ingredient," Cummins said.

Related: America's best paying jobs

Related: Looking for a job? Follow the money

CNNMoney (New York) April 3, 2015: 12:04 AM ET

15.30 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chinese investors trade way more often than Americans

That's when pesky fees and human error tend to drag down performance. Unless you get super lucky, this common mistake can turn into an expensive double-whammy.

Investors in China apparently didn't get this "less is more" memo.

Eighty-one percent of retail investors in China surveyed by State Street said they trade at least once a month. That's the highest of any country on the planet. Likewise, 73% of investors in Hong Kong said they trade monthly or more often in stocks, bonds, currencies and other securities.

Those are very high figures, especially considering just 53% of Americans and 32% of French investors say they trade monthly or more often.

"In the majority of cases, this does not work out to the benefit of the investors. Frequent trading destroys the value of your portfolio," said Suzanne Duncan, global head of research at State Street's Center for Applied Research.

Related: The two biggest mistakes investors make

She pointed to fees tied to each transaction as well as the tendency for investors to buy high and sell low.

In other words, American investors should not emulate their Chinese peers in this financial strategy. It's telling that only 3% of Chinese investors told State Street they feel prepared to meet their financial goals, compared with 20% of U.S. investors.

Related: China's stock market skyrockets

Investing as a form of gambling: So what's behind the desire to trade frequently in China? Part of it may be a cultural difference.

While most Americans say they invest to meet their retirement goals, many people in China and other Asian countries say they do it because it's enjoyable.

"It's fun. It's what they do as a hobby," said Duncan.

Gambling is officially illegal in China -- with the exception of Macau -- which may encourage some Chinese to get their fix through stock wagers.

There's a saying in China that the domestic equity market is a "better casino than Macau," a Shanghai-based financial professional told CNNMoney.

"It's hard to find people not trading stocks these days, especially in big cities. It's the best pastime for the retired," she said.

Related: Emerging markets are the biggest loser from the strong dollar

Short-term focus: Alvin Cheung, an associate director at Prudential Brokerage in Hong Kong, said some people come into his office every day to trade stocks.

"People are very concerned about the stock market," he said. "The society in Hong Kong encourages people to invest as early as possible."

Part of the short-term focus on stocks may be fueled by painful memories of Mainland Chinese markets, which until recently had struggled mightily despite the country's enormous growth.

"In China you have had a disastrous market for over 20 years. So many people lost so much that they don't have a lot of trust in companies," said Andrew Stotz, a financial analyst who is based in Thailand.

"Hence, they view the market as just a place to gamble and place short-term bets," he said.

Related: China's big chess move against the U.S.

Buying at the top? It's easy to see how the recent gains could encourage Chinese investors to tinker even more with their portfolios. The Shanghai Composite has nearly doubled over the past year alone.

Forty-two percent of Chinese investors told State Street they would be more inclined to invest additional savings if the markets went up significantly, compared with 27% of global investors.

"They have the tendency to buy high and sell low. That's the natural inclination," said Duncan.

-- CNN's Vivian Kam contributed to this report.

Related: Lloyd Blankfein: 'There's no place for pure, unregulated capitalism.'

CNNMoney (New York) April 1, 2015: 9:54 PM ET

17.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Salesforce CEO: We're helping employees move out of Indiana

The move is in response to a law signed last week by Indiana Gov. Mike Pence that allows businesses to refuse service to gay, lesbian and transgender people on religious grounds.

Benioff had already pledged to reduce his company's investments in Indiana, calling the law "brutal," "unfair" and "unjust." The cloud computing CEO said he is working with state officials in hopes of changing the statute.

Moving employees out of the state is a new step, however, and one of the most aggressive corporate actions taken in response to the new law.

Benioff told CNN's Poppy Harlow that several employees have asked for transfers -- and he has agreed, even supplying relocation packages.

"I just got an email on the way to studio from another employee who said, 'look I don't feel comfortable living in this state anymore, you have to move me out,' and I gave him a $50,000 relocation package and said, 'great, you're clear to go.' "

Benioff acknowledged that Salesforce (CRM, Tech30) won't be able to completely pull out of Indiana, given the size of the company's operations there. But the company is helping individual employees who feel oppressed to leave.

Related: Is the GOP losing Walmart?

Big business has been at the forefront of the backlash against the Indiana law, and similar legislation pending in states around the U.S.

Apple (AAPL, Tech30), Yelp (YELP), the NCAA, Eli Lilly (LLY), NASCAR, General Electric (GE), Angie's List and PayPal are among the companies that have raised concerns. Leaders from some 39 tech companies and organizations have also condemned the legislation.

"This is a really important point that, you know, CEOs have a lot of power and control on investment in states and we want to invest in states where there is equality," Benioff said.

"One thing that you're seeing is that there is a third [political] party emerging in this country, which is the party of CEOs," he said.

Related: Warren Buffett says discrimination for sexual orientation is 'wrong'

CNNMoney (New York) April 1, 2015: 11:53 PM ET

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Stocks: 4 things to know before the open

Here are the four things you need to know before the opening bell rings in New York:

1. Three days of declines?: U.S. stock futures are dipping, indicating Wall Street could see a third consecutive day of declines before the Easter long weekend.

Traders will be trying to position themselves for the release of the monthly U.S. jobs report Friday, when most major stock markets will be closed. Currency markets will definitely be moving.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is expected to report the economy created 244,000 jobs in March, according to a CNNMoney survey of economists.

Related: Have you changed jobs twice this year?

2. International markets overview: European markets are relatively stable in early trading. No single index is making any standout moves.

Investors are watching the political back-and-forth moves on Greece. The heavily indebted nation is trying to convince international lenders to release further bailout money so that it can pay for day-to-day expenses and upcoming debt repayments.

Most Asian markets ended the day with healthy gains.

3. Potential stock market movers -- McDonald's, Kraft, Mondelez: McDonald's (MCD) stock may be in play after announcing late Wednesday that it would raise hourly wages for 90,000 employees who work at company-owned stories.

Kraft (KRFT) and Mondelez International (MDLZ) will be in the spotlight Thursday after the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced it had filed a civil complaint against the food giants for manipulating wheat prices.

Related: McDonald's is giving 90,000 workers a raise

4. Earnings and economics: Avocado producer Calavo Growers (CVGW) and retailer Perry Ellis (PERY) are both reporting ahead of the open.

Also before the opening bell, the U.S Labor Department will release its report on weekly jobless claims at 8:30 a.m. ET.

The government's report on February's trade balance will also come out at that time.

CNNMoney (London) April 2, 2015: 6:05 AM ET

17.42 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chinese investors trade way more often than Americans

That's when pesky fees and human error tend to drag down performance. Unless you get super lucky, this common mistake can turn into an expensive double-whammy.

Investors in China apparently didn't get this "less is more" memo.

Eighty-one percent of retail investors in China surveyed by State Street said they trade at least once a month. That's the highest of any country on the planet. Likewise, 73% of investors in Hong Kong said they trade monthly or more often in stocks, bonds, currencies and other securities.

Those are very high figures, especially considering just 53% of Americans and 32% of French investors say they trade monthly or more often.

"In the majority of cases, this does not work out to the benefit of the investors. Frequent trading destroys the value of your portfolio," said Suzanne Duncan, global head of research at State Street's Center for Applied Research.

Related: The two biggest mistakes investors make

She pointed to fees tied to each transaction as well as the tendency for investors to buy high and sell low.

In other words, American investors should not emulate their Chinese peers in this financial strategy. It's telling that only 3% of Chinese investors told State Street they feel prepared to meet their financial goals, compared with 20% of U.S. investors.

Related: China's stock market skyrockets

Investing as a form of gambling: So what's behind the desire to trade frequently in China? Part of it may be a cultural difference.

While most Americans say they invest to meet their retirement goals, many people in China and other Asian countries say they do it because it's enjoyable.

"It's fun. It's what they do as a hobby," said Duncan.

Gambling is officially illegal in China -- with the exception of Macau -- which may encourage some Chinese to get their fix through stock wagers.

There's a saying in China that the domestic equity market is a "better casino than Macau," a Shanghai-based financial professional told CNNMoney.

"It's hard to find people not trading stocks these days, especially in big cities. It's the best pastime for the retired," she said.

Related: Emerging markets are the biggest loser from the strong dollar

Short-term focus: Alvin Cheung, an associate director at Prudential Brokerage in Hong Kong, said some people come into his office every day to trade stocks.

"People are very concerned about the stock market," he said. "The society in Hong Kong encourages people to invest as early as possible."

Part of the short-term focus on stocks may be fueled by painful memories of Mainland Chinese markets, which until recently had struggled mightily despite the country's enormous growth.

"In China you have had a disastrous market for over 20 years. So many people lost so much that they don't have a lot of trust in companies," said Andrew Stotz, a financial analyst who is based in Thailand.

"Hence, they view the market as just a place to gamble and place short-term bets," he said.

Related: China's big chess move against the U.S.

Buying at the top? It's easy to see how the recent gains could encourage Chinese investors to tinker even more with their portfolios. The Shanghai Composite has nearly doubled over the past year alone.

Forty-two percent of Chinese investors told State Street they would be more inclined to invest additional savings if the markets went up significantly, compared with 27% of global investors.

"They have the tendency to buy high and sell low. That's the natural inclination," said Duncan.

-- CNN's Vivian Kam contributed to this report.

Related: Lloyd Blankfein: 'There's no place for pure, unregulated capitalism.'

CNNMoney (New York) April 1, 2015: 9:54 PM ET

15.30 | 0 komentar | Read More