* Shanghai Composite up 1 pct; Hang Seng up 0.4 pct
* HSBC shares dip 1.6 pct; biggest drag in Hong Kong
* Autos, resources rally; Disney boosts Shanghai firms
* Hang Seng, Shanghai Comp have highest RSIs in region
(Updates to close)
By Vikram S.Subhedar and Farah Master
HONG KONG/SHANGHAI, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Shanghai shares rose 1 percent on Monday to a near seven-month high, helping Hong Kong's benchmark recoup early losses, as investors pushed funds into autos and resources on optimism over China's booming economy.
The Hang Seng index <.HSI> closed up 0.4 percent at a fresh 29-month high as strength in shares of Hong Kong-listed Chinese companies helped offset weakness in HSBC <0005.HK>, which fell after it warned of the damaging impact of tougher UK and European regulations.
Shanghai's key stock <.SSEC> has now surged 19 percent since the end of September and is close to recouping all its losses since mid-April when the central government unleashed policies to curb escalating property prices.
Analysts said investors were still flush with cash, with many switching from real estate and bonds to shares, chasing the equity market's recent rally.
"China's domestic liquidity situation is very ample, with China's negative real interest rate meaning money is being taken out of banks and lots of cash is still flooding in from the property market," said Ren Chengde, analyst at Galaxy Securities in Shanghai.
The biggest boost for the broader market came from top Chinese automaker SAIC Motor <600104.SS>, which rose 4 percent after reporting a nearly 30 percent jump in October sales from a year earlier. [ID:nTOE6A401H]
The heavyweight energy sector was also a winner again as oil prices held near $87 a barrel, with positive economic data from the U.S. expected to underpin prices. [O/R]
Shares in Petrochina <601857.SS> gained 1.3 percent, while Sinopec <600028.SS> rose 0.8 percent.
Some market watcher expect profit-taking pressure to set in soon.
The Hang Seng and the Shanghai Composite are trading in technically overbought territory with relative strength indexes of both around 76, the highest amongst major Asian markets.
HSBC WEIGHS ON HONG KONG
HSBC fell 1.6 percent after Europe's largest lender said late on Friday that it saw "some bumps in the road" for emerging markets growth and that tougher European regulations on pay and a UK bank tax would have a damaging impact on the company. [ID:nLDE6A409P]
HSBC shares carry nearly a 15 percent weighting on the benchmark Hang Seng index.
However, declines in HSBC were offset by an advance in China Life <2628.HK>, which rose 3.4 percent on hopes that any further interest rate hikes in China would boost its investment income, and by a 2.2 percent gain in ICBC <1398.HK>.
Traders said investors were shifting out of China Construction Bank <0939.HK> shares, which have jumped over 21 percent this year, and into ICBC, which has risen just 7 percent, anticipating the laggard will catch up to other Chinese lenders.
CCB shares eased 2.2 percent from a three-year high.
"The flow of money is really strong and is not showing any signs of going down," said Larry Jiang, chief markets strategist at Guotai Junan Securities in Hong Kong.
"Perhaps Europe's debt situation or a sustained dollar rebound might become reasons to take profits since the index is quite overbought," said Jiang.
Over the last week investors pulled out of Irish, Greek and Portuguese debt as yield spreads widened on a combination of factors related to austerity budgets and political risk. [ID:nLDE6A41UE]
But Jiang says investors' appetite has returned for Chinese shares, which were battered earlier this year by a combination of Beijing's clampdown on property speculation, worries of a Chinese economic slowdown and a global 'double-dip' recession.
"My market microblog in China had 60,000 followers in mid-September. Today there are more than 200,000," said Jiang, who expects the rally to continue into early next year. (Editing by Kim Cogihll)