Hong Kong shares to open up 0.9 pct at 19-mth intra-day high

HONG KONG Jan 2 (Reuters) - Hong Kong shares were set to start 2013 at a 19-month high on Wednesday, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index buoyed by a 2.9 percent rise for Chinese steel-to-property conglomerate Citic Pacific.

The Hang Seng Index was set to open up 0.9 percent at 22,860.3, its highest intra-day level since June 2011. The China Enterprises Index of the top Chinese listings in Hong Kong was indicated to start up 1.1 percent.