(Yicai Global) Dec. 20 -- The head of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing has for the first time during his nine-year tenure sold shares in the stock market operator, pocketing HKD167 million (USD21.4 million).

Charles Li sold 650,000 shares at an average price of HKD256.50 (USD32.90), The Paper reported today, citing a spokesperson for the exchange. Li trimmed his stake in Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing to 0.03 percent from 0.08 percent for personal reasons.

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange has had another bumper year. Last month, it hosted Alibaba Group Holding's USD11.2 billion secondary offering, which was the world's biggest this year. The bourse will also likely rank first globally for initial public offerings in 2019 for the second year in a row, with 160 IPOs raising a total of HKD307.8 billion (USD39.5 billion), according to a KPMG report published earlier this month.

Still, HKEX's net profit fell 1 percent to HKD7.4 billion (USD949.3 million) on a 2 percent gain in revenue to HKD12.6 billion in the first three quarters of this year, according to the firm's latest earnings report.

The 58-year-old Li, whose Chinese name is Li Xiaojia, joined Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing in October 2009 from J.P. Morgan China, where he had been chairman for about six years.

HKEX's stock price [HKG:0388] rose almost 0.6 percent today to close at HKD256.40. In late September, it nearly touched a low for the year after the London Stock Exchange rebuffed a USD36.6 billion takeover bid by HKEX.

Editor: Emmi Laine