Chinese shares higher in morning trade

SHANGHAI: Chinese shares rose 0.56 percent in early trade Thursday with financial companies leading the market higher after Bank of China posted strong first-half earnings, dealers said.

The Shanghai Composite Index, which covers both A and B shares, was up 14.20 points at 2,555.29.

Bank of China said Wednesday its first-half net profit rose 28 percent from a year earlier to 66.5 billion yuan ($10.4 billion).

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011