PRESS DIGEST - Hong Kong - Nov 13

HONG KONG, Nov 13 (Reuters) - These are some of the leading stories in Hong Kong newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy. SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST

-- Hong Kong is expected to return to year-on-year gross domestic product growth in the fourth quarter due to a low base comparison last year and an improving economy, economists predicted. They said GDP for the third quarter, which is due later on Friday, is expected to show a contraction of 1 to 2 percent versus a 3.8 percent decline in the second quarter.

-- China Minsheng Banking Corp, which plans to raise HK$31.6 billion (US$4.1 billion) in a new listing, has drawn US$14.1 billion worth of orders from international investors, according to a source familiar with the deal.

HONG KONG ECONOMIC JOURNAL

-- CITIC Pacific (0267.HK) has signed deals to sell two-thirds of its iron ore produced from its US$4 billion project in Australia to Chinese steelmakers, according to Barry Fitzgerald, CEO of a unit of CITIC Pacific.

HONG KONG ECONOMIC TIMES

-- The government lived up to market expectations, making HK$172 million by auctioning eight luxury homes in a batch of 10 on Hong Kong Island.

SING TAO DAILY

-- Battery and car maker BYD Co. (1211.HK) has signed an agreement with the Shaoguan municipal government, to jointly build a national auto test track and auto parts production base in Shaoguan, involving 1.5 billion yuan ($219.7 million) in investment in the first phase of the project.