The Hong Kong Observatory issued a so-called Typhoon Signal 8, the third highest, at 11:10 p.m. local time Wednesday as tropical storm Toraji is edging closer to the Pearl River Estuary and local winds will strengthen.

The Hong Kong Observatory said it will issue a so-called Typhoon Signal 8, the third highest, at 11:10 p.m. local time Wednesday as tropical storm Toraji is edging closer to the Pearl River Estuary and local winds will strengthen. The signal will remain in force at least until 10 a.m. Thursday, it added.

Hong Kong stocks hovered around a seven-week low while investors await a flurry of earnings cards from bellwether companies as the city’s financial markets opened for business under typhoon conditions for the first time.

A typhoon is brewing over Hong Kong but it’s business as usual for the city’s $5.4 trillion stock market. The financial hub has ended a decades-long practice of shutting its markets during severe weather,