HK shares slide 3.3 pct to 15-wk low; HKEx tumbles

HONG KONG, July 8 (Reuters) - Hong Kong shares tumbled on Tuesday, with all stocks in the benchmark index in the red, as jittery investors dumped blue chips on fears of further losses at U.S. financials and a lack of market-boosting steps from China.

Shares in HSBC Holdings 005.HK fell to a 4-1/2-month low after Lehman Brothers warned of further capital raising at the top two mortgage providers in the U.S., raising fresh doubts about the state of the credit market.

Bourse operator Hong Kong Exchanges & Clearing Ltd (HKEx) (0388.HK: Quote, Profile, Research) tumbled to its lowest level since mid-August 2007, as analysts slashed their target price on the stock on dwindling turnover. [ID:nHKF079283]

The benchmark Hang Seng Index .HSI unofficially closed down 727.08 points at 21,185.98, a 15-week low.

The China Enterprises Index .HSCE of top locally listed mainland firms dropped 3.7 percent.

Chinese banks retreated sharply after posting strong gains on Monday on positive profit estimates from three lenders (Reporting by Parvathy Ullatil; Eediting by Anne Marie Roantree)