BEIJING: China stocks opened mixed on Friday after a sharp plunge on Thursday, when benchmark indexes dropped over 6 percent in record high turnover on concerns over margin finance and liquidity.
The CSI300 index rose 0.1 percent to 4,839.53 points at open, while the Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.4 percent to 4,603.47 points. Hong Kong shares eased by 0.2 percent.
China CSI300 stock index futures for June was trading 0.2 percent higher at 4,986, 146.47 points above the current value of the underlying index.
The CSI300 and the Shanghai Composite indexes both slumped in late afternoon trade on Thursday, ending down 6.7 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively, their worst day since Jan. 19. In terms of points shed, the two indexes suffered their heaviest single day loss since 2008.
China’s stock market has surged over 140 percent over the past 12 months despite a flagging economy, as retail investors, including university students, barbers and janitors piled into the world’s best performing market, though economists have warned that, based on economic fundamentals, the rally was unjustified.
