Shanghai stocks set for sixth day of declines amid yuan slide

Hong Kong and China Gas

20/07/2018 05:25

* SSEC -0.1 pct, CSI300 -0.4 pct, HSI -0.5 pct
    * HK->Shanghai Connect daily quota used 0.8 pct
    * Yuan plunged to a more than one year low against dollar 

    SHANGHAI, July 20 (Reuters) - China stocks fell on Friday,
with the Shanghai benchmark poised to decline for a sixth
straight session, as market sentiment continued to be curbed by
a sliding yuan. 
    
** The CSI300 index  .CSI300  fell 0.4 percent to 3,414.78
points at the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai
Composite Index  .SSEC  lost 0.1 percent to 2,769.20 points. 
    
** China's yuan plunged to its lowest in more than a year
against the dollar on Friday after the central bank fixed a weak
midpoint, but traders said major state banks sold dollars during
the morning trading which slowed down the decline.
** China's CSI300 financial sector sub-index  .CSI300FS  slid
0.12 percent, the consumer staples sector lost 0.82 percent, the
real estate index fell 1.59 percent and healthcare sub-index
slipped 0.98 percent.
    
** Chinese H-shares listed in Hong Kong  .HSCE  fell 0.36
percent at 10,485.68, while the Hang Seng Index  .HSI  was down
0.54 percent at 27,858.23. 
    
** The smaller Shenzhen index  .SZSC  slipped 0.23 percent and
the start-up board ChiNext Composite index  .CHINEXTP  was
higher by 0.12 percent.
    
** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index
 .MIAPJ0000PUS  was weaker by 0.06 percent, while Japan's Nikkei
index  .N225  was down 0.70 percent.
    
** The yuan  CNY=CFXS  was quoted at 6.7946 per U.S. dollar,
0.22 percent weaker than the previous close of 6.7796. 
    
** The largest percentage gainers in the main Shanghai Composite
index were Fujian Start Group Co Ltd  600734.SS , which climbed
10.06 percent, followed by Shandong Huapeng Glass Co Ltd
 603021.SS , which gained 10.06 percent and Chongqing Gas Group
Corp Ltd  600917.SS , which rose 9.94 percent.
    
** The largest percentage losses in the Shanghai index were
Hainan Airlines Holding Co Ltd  900945.SS , which lost 10.04
percent, followed by Hainan Airlines Holding Co Ltd  600221.SS ,
which slipped 9.91 percent and Ningxia Xinri Hengli Steel Wire
Rope Co Ltd  600165.SS , which slid 7.57 percent.
    
** So far this year, the Shanghai stock index is down 16.17
percent, while China's H-share index lost 10.1 percent. Shanghai
stocks declined 2.63 percent this month. 
    
** The top gainers among H-shares were China Gas Holdings Ltd
 0384.HK , which rose 2.65 percent, followed by Air China Ltd
 0753.HK , which climbed 2.4 percent and Postal Savings Bank of
China Co Ltd  1658.HK , which gained 2.04 percent.
    
** The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were China
Resources Land Ltd  1109.HK , which has fallen 3.72 percent,
China Huarong Asset Management Co Ltd  2799.HK , which has lost
2.6 percent and China Vanke Co Ltd  2202.HK , which fell 2.2
percent.

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China stock market graphics suite     http://reut.rs/1NfkoGl
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 (Reporting by Shanghai Newsroom, Editing by Sherry
Jacob-Phillips)
 ((samuel.shen@tr.com))