Share Type:
A shares: Issued by Chinese companies in mainland under Chinese law, these stocks are denominated in Chinese currency, the renminbi, and are listed on the Shanghai or Shenzhen stock exchanges. Only domestic citizens and institutions (excluding investors from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau) are allowed to invest in A shares. However, foreign investors can still access A share market under the QFII (Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors) program launched in 2002.
B shares: Available to foreign individuals and institutions, these stocks are subscribed and traded in foreign currencies and are listed and traded in securities exchanges inside China. B shares traded in Shanghai are denominated in US dollar while in Shenzhen the B shares are denominated in Hong Kong dollar. Domestic residents have been allowed to invest in B shares since Feb, 2001.
China’s biggest stocks (As of June 30, 2008)
DataSource: Wind
Stock Exchanges:
The venues for stocks trading are mainly composed of the Main Board in the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and the SME (Small-Medium Enterprise) Board in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. Currently, main boards in both Shanghai and Shenzhen are dominated by state owned enterprises. The SME board is still in its early stage of development due to its small market capitalization and narrow industry coverage.
Datasource:Xinhua Far East
Trading times
Centralized group auction is from 9.15am - 9.25am every Monday to Friday and consecutive bidding is carried out from 9.30am - 11.30am and 1.00pm - 3.00pm. The market is closed on Saturdays, Sundays and domestic public holidays.
Historical development of China’s equity market
Datasource:Xinhua Far East
