BANGKOK: The Shanghai Composite slipped 28.75 points, or 0.95 percent today, on volume of 168.99 million shares. The rest of Asia was mostly lower as well: The Nikkei fell 1.11 percent, the Kospi declined 0.56 percent, the Hang Seng shed 0.69 percent, and the S&P/ASX 200 finished the day flat, gaining 0.05 percent.
Medical companies in China did well after the National Development and Reform commission announced that all public hospital financing would depend primarily on health care services and government income by the year 2020, rather than by drug sales. Ningbo Sanxing Medical Electric Co. gained 1.43 percent and Topchoice Medical Corps gained 2.94 percent. Commodity companies also did well today: Meidu Energy Corp. gain 1.04 percent and Hainan Mining Co. was up 0.93 percent.