Stocks trade mixed at the open, regional bank stocks rally

Reuters HONG KONG (Reuters) -HSBC has agreed to buy out its China fund management joint venture partner, two people familiar with the matter said, as the Asia-focused bank pushes ahead with expansion in the world’s second-largest economy. HSBC, which currently owns a 49% stake in HSBC Jintrust Fund Management, has signed an agreement with Shanxi Trust under which the Chinese state-owned company will sell its 51% holding in the joint venture to the bank, said the sources. If approved, Europe’s biggest bank by assets, which makes the bulk of its revenue and profit in Asia, will expand its presence in…