Shougang Lanza Tech (02553) experienced a sharp rally in the final stretch of Thursday's trading session, surging nearly 8% before settling to a gain of 5.25% at HK$25.26, with turnover reaching HK$10.59 million. The market's enthusiasm was fueled by the company's recently released interim results, which showed a resilient performance amid a challenging economic landscape.

According to the mid-year financial report, the company generated revenue of RMB 293 million in the first half, representing a year-on-year increase of 9.9%. The gross loss narrowed significantly to RMB 19.99 million, a substantial reduction of 63.9% compared to the previous period. More notably, the net loss for the period contracted considerably by 30.1% to RMB 118 million, indicating an improving cost structure and operational efficiency.

The company maintains a robust order backlog, with revenue primarily derived from the sale of low-carbon products. In a significant development, Shougang Lanza Tech has been included in the Hang Seng Composite Index, which positions the stock as a strong candidate for inclusion in the Stock Connect program in the near future, potentially expanding its investor base and liquidity profile.

Adding to the positive momentum, Shougang Group recently announced a major operational milestone. The second-phase project at Hebei Shoulang has successfully completed its commissioning process in a single pass, producing qualified anhydrous ethanol with purity exceeding 99.9%. This achievement marks the world's first 10,000-tonne demonstration project utilizing industrial tail gas containing CO2 for bio-synthesis of anhydrous ethanol, achieving a fully integrated process flow and officially entering the commercial operation phase.