Hong Kong stocks had a slightly weak start to Thursday's trading session as US Treasury yields hit multi-decade highs and Federal Reserve minutes revealed differing views on why another rate hike is needed this year.

The Hang Seng Index shed 0.4%, or 99 points, to open at 24,031.66. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index edged marginally into negative territory at 8,063.93.

Yields on long-dated 10-year and 30-year US Treasury bonds rose to 5.365% and 5.732%, respectively, the highest since early 2002, snapping Wall Street's positive run on Wednesday that lasted four consecutive sessions since October began.

Meanwhile, minutes from the September Fed meeting indicated that some wanted a quarter-point rate bump to insulate consumers from energy price shocks, while others debated it was to safeguard against demand-led inflation.