Hong Kong stocks are actually not as difficult to get started with as you might think—especially in Taiwan. I only recently found out that there are far more ways to invest in Hong Kong stocks than I originally imagined.

First, let’s talk about the Hong Kong stock market itself. Just by looking at its scale, you can tell how mature it is—the Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing main board lists more than 2,300 companies, the Growth Enterprise Market has more than 300 companies, and the total market capitalization reaches as high as 48 trillion Hong Kong dollars. Companies like Tencent, Alibaba, and BYD—the ones we hear about every day—are all listed there. So, investing in Hong Kong stocks essentially means you can access a whole range of high-quality companies from mainland China and Hong Kong.

In Taiwan, there are mainly three ways to invest in Hong Kong stocks. The most direct is to buy individual stocks. Hong Kong stock codes are all five digits starting with 0; for the Growth Enterprise Market, the codes start with 08. That said, if you’re a beginner and want to invest in Hong Kong stocks, I would start with blue chips. Big companies like Tencent and HSBC are generally more stable. You can buy through domestic brokers’ cross-border order routing (cross-trading), or open an account directly with a Hong Kong broker, such as Futu or Tiger—just be sure to pay attention to currency-exchange costs.

The second approach is to buy an index or an ETF, which carries lower risk for beginners. The Hang Seng Index is the most representative index for Hong Kong stocks. It includes 88 constituent stocks and accounts for more than 60% of the total market capitalization of Hong Kong stocks. Buying an ETF is as simple as buying a regular stock. Funds such as the Tracker Fund and the Hang Seng Index ETF are both good options.

The third method is trading Contracts for Difference (CFD), which is suitable for people who want to trade short-term. The advantage of CFDs is that leverage is flexible and fees are low, and you can also short-sell. Compared with the 2–4x leverage offered by traditional brokers, CFDs can provide 1–30x leverage, and even indices can reach 200x. Of course, the risks are higher too, so you need to be cautious.

It’s also worth understanding the trading rules for Hong Kong stocks. The Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing uses a T+0 trading system, meaning stocks you buy on the same day can be sold on the same day, with no limit on the number of times you trade. Settlement is T+2, which means the funds take two trading days before they can be withdrawn. One more key point: Hong Kong stocks have no daily price limit, so volatility can be more intense than in Taiwan—so be mentally prepared. The minimum trading unit is 1 lot, but the number of shares per lot isn’t fixed. For example, Tencent is 100 shares per lot, while some stocks might require 100,000 shares per lot.

Compared with Taiwan’s market, Hong Kong is more international. Listed companies come from 26 countries, giving you many more choices. And since there are no daily price limits, liquidity is also better. If you want to invest in Hong Kong stocks, I would recommend starting with the Hang Seng Index or a few blue-chip stocks, then getting familiar with the market rules before considering other strategies. These days, many platforms support Taiwanese users to invest directly in Hong Kong stocks, and the account-opening process has been simplified a lot. Some platforms even offer demo accounts so you can practice first. Honestly, investing in Hong Kong stocks is no longer a high-difficulty thing.