China stocks mixed

China stocks ended mixed on Wednesday, with gains in banking and infrastructure firms offset by losses in consumer and real estate shares. At the close, the Shanghai Composite index was up 8.76 points, or 0.26 percent, at 3,445.36. The blue-chip CSI300 index was down 0.23 percent, with its financial sector sub-index higher by 0.92 percent, the consumer staples sector down 2.57 percent, the real estate index down 0.79 percent and healthcare sub-index down 0.85 percent.
The smaller Shenzhen index ended down 0.3 percent and the start-up board ChiNext Composite index was higher by 0.72 percent. Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was weaker by 0.27 percent while Japan's Nikkei index closed down 0.35 percent. At 0703 GMT, the yuan was quoted at 6.4378 per US dollar, 0.01 percent weaker than the previous close of 6.4369.
The largest percentage gainers in the main Shanghai Composite index were Xinjiang Korla Pear Co Ltd up 10.03 percent, followed by Lawton Development Co Ltd gaining 9.98 percent and Beijing Airport High-Tech Park Co Ltd up by 9.97 percent. The largest percentage losses in the Shanghai index were China Jushi Co Ltd down 9.98 percent, followed by Shanghai Shimao Co Ltd losing 9.33 percent and Changchun Gas Co Ltd down by 8.74 percent.
So far this year, the Shanghai stock index is up 3.91 percent, the CSI300 is up 5.4 percent this year, while China's H-share index listed in Hong Kong is up 9.2 percent. About 26.10 billion shares were traded on the Shanghai exchange, roughly 159.2 percent of the market's 30-day moving average of 16.39 billion shares a day. The volume in the previous trading session was 21.15 billion. As of 07:04 GMT, China's A-shares were trading at a premium of 28.62 percent over the Hong Kong-listed H-shares.
The Shanghai stock index is above its 50-day moving average and above its 200-day moving average. The price-to-earnings ratio of the Shanghai index was 15.57 as of the last full trading day while the dividend yield was 1.9 percent. So far this week, the market capitalisation of the Shanghai stock index has risen by 0.27 percent to 30.19 trillion yuan.